Hurricane Sandy "Frankenstorm" May Slam Into East Coast; CNY Prepares
By: Rachel Polansky
Updated: October 26, 2012
A potent hurricane and some snow may be heading our way. The storm that
some forecasters are calling "Frankenstorm" is already affecting parts
of the East Coast, but the worst could lie ahead.
As the Governor has declared a state of emergency for the empire state, Central New York could be in the direct path of Hurricane Sandy.
Oneida County Emergency Services are saying prepare for the worse but hope for the best. Government forecasters say there's a 90% chance that the East will get hit with steady winds, heavy rain, and maybe even snow starting Sunday and stretching past Halloween on Wednesday.
"I'm nervous, because we got people in my area, we got children in my area," says Stacey Snell, Utica resident.
"You just never know. You just don't know if we're gonna have power, how much rain and wind we're gonna have," says Kay Sinclair, New Hartford resident.
It's a mix of Hurricane Sandy, now in the Caribbean as a category 2 storm, as well as an early winter storm. The president of Jay-K Lumber says the scenario sounds familiar.
"Last year we had those 2 storms right in a row, Lee and Irene, which dumped a significant amount of rain on our community and I think a lot of people weren't ready for the amount of rain that those storms brought," says Dean Kelly, President of Jay-K Lumber.
But this year, he thinks people will be ready, and his store is already prepping.
"We're making sure we have all the merchandise in stock that people would need in case of a storm; flashlights, batteries, tarps," says Kelly.
But not everyone is preparing.
"We're not gonna buy any flashlights or batteries, not planning on doing anything. Just hoping the storm goes around us says Richard Hughes," New Hartford resident.
That's not the case for Oneida County Emergency Services. The say they're in constant communication with The National Weather Service. But for now, it's a waiting game.
"Right now its preparedness, watching, waiting, gathering information, when and where it might hit and how severe," says Gerald Pedersen, Deputy Director at Oneida County Emergency Services.
Officials say the best thing you can do is prepare. And that means stocking up on batteries and flashlights and having an emergency plan ready.
"Plan ahead, have a kit ready, take care of stuff ahead of time. Then, it's less of an impact when things do happen," says Pedersen.
"It's just really important to think ahead and not be running to the store in the middle of the storm," says Sinclair.
Meteorologists say the storm is likely to cause 1 billion dollars in damages.
And Eyewitness News wants to keep you in the loop with all the latest updates. That's why we're having a Special Report this Sunday at 6pm on WUTR. And follow Jeff Matthews-WUTR for updates as Hurricane Sandy makes its way to CNY!
As the Governor has declared a state of emergency for the empire state, Central New York could be in the direct path of Hurricane Sandy.
Oneida County Emergency Services are saying prepare for the worse but hope for the best. Government forecasters say there's a 90% chance that the East will get hit with steady winds, heavy rain, and maybe even snow starting Sunday and stretching past Halloween on Wednesday.
"I'm nervous, because we got people in my area, we got children in my area," says Stacey Snell, Utica resident.
"You just never know. You just don't know if we're gonna have power, how much rain and wind we're gonna have," says Kay Sinclair, New Hartford resident.
It's a mix of Hurricane Sandy, now in the Caribbean as a category 2 storm, as well as an early winter storm. The president of Jay-K Lumber says the scenario sounds familiar.
"Last year we had those 2 storms right in a row, Lee and Irene, which dumped a significant amount of rain on our community and I think a lot of people weren't ready for the amount of rain that those storms brought," says Dean Kelly, President of Jay-K Lumber.
But this year, he thinks people will be ready, and his store is already prepping.
"We're making sure we have all the merchandise in stock that people would need in case of a storm; flashlights, batteries, tarps," says Kelly.
But not everyone is preparing.
"We're not gonna buy any flashlights or batteries, not planning on doing anything. Just hoping the storm goes around us says Richard Hughes," New Hartford resident.
That's not the case for Oneida County Emergency Services. The say they're in constant communication with The National Weather Service. But for now, it's a waiting game.
"Right now its preparedness, watching, waiting, gathering information, when and where it might hit and how severe," says Gerald Pedersen, Deputy Director at Oneida County Emergency Services.
Officials say the best thing you can do is prepare. And that means stocking up on batteries and flashlights and having an emergency plan ready.
"Plan ahead, have a kit ready, take care of stuff ahead of time. Then, it's less of an impact when things do happen," says Pedersen.
"It's just really important to think ahead and not be running to the store in the middle of the storm," says Sinclair.
Meteorologists say the storm is likely to cause 1 billion dollars in damages.
And Eyewitness News wants to keep you in the loop with all the latest updates. That's why we're having a Special Report this Sunday at 6pm on WUTR. And follow Jeff Matthews-WUTR for updates as Hurricane Sandy makes its way to CNY!
