Braving Hanna

By Jill Wagner

The sun is out and I've officially dried off!  I spent Saturday at Smith Point County Park in Shirley reporting on Hanna's descent on Long Island.  And as she drenched the area with pounding, horizontal rain, my photographer Brandon and I had nowhere to hide.  At first, we tried drying off in the truck in the minutes between our live News 12 reports.  But it soon became clear we were fighting a losing battle and decided to embrace it!  As I said on air, the rain was so strong at points, it literally felt like I was standing underneath my bathroom shower.  Only the water wasn't hot, and it was coming down sideways!

Still, the storm didn't pack quite the punch some forecasters feared.  Certainly, Hanna drenched the Island and caused minor flooding.  Areas like Dix Hills had nearly four inches of rain.  She also brought heavy winds that took down trees and put many in the dark (at least temporarily).  But all things considered, Hanna could have been much worse and Long Islanders can breathe easy---For now!

It seems like everyone I spoke to has a story about hurricanes past.  And in turn, an underlying fear of the storms that lurk in our future.  In Shirley, we found Mark Koch cleaning his gutters before Hanna rolled in.  He said Hurricane Gloria ripped the roof right off his house and put it in the middle of the road.  In Mastic Beach, Paul Berschard said that during Hurricane Bob there were white caps on the lawn across from his house, about 50 feet from his front porch.  During Gloria, he was without power for eight days.

So, yes, Hanna gave us a break.  But as Sam Kille with the Red Cross of Nassau County reminded me--hurricane Season is far from over.  The best thing Long Islanders can do is be prepared.  Here is the link to the Red Cross website, www.redcross.org, with information on all the items you should stock up on before a storm hits.  And a link to the National Hurricane Center website,

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/disaster_prevention.shtml, with a list of things you can do to make your home more secure and able to withstand a stronger storm.