CBS New York 
1:13 PM - 29 Oct 12 · Details
Parts Of L.I. Flooding, Outages Reported As Hurricane Sandy Approaches
October 29, 2012 11:20 AM
FREEPORT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) – Low-lying areas of Nassau and Suffolk County are under mandatory evacuation orders as Long Island begins to feel the effects of Hurricane Sandy.
Long Island is bracing for a storm surge of up to 10 feet prompting concerns over rising waters and record tides. The brunt of the storm is expected to hit Monday afternoon.
“The worst is yet to come,” Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano warned Monday.
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Canals already were bulging two hours before high tide around Long Island’s Great South Bay area.
By 7 a.m. Monday, water was about a foot deep on some streets in Lindenhurst.
“All day today will be about the water, about the surges, about the beach erosion and then we will go into full high-gear with our tree-cutting crews once the intensity of the storm passes,” Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray said.
In Wantagh, water is across the roads leading to Jones Beach State Park.
In Bayville, waves from the Long Island Sound crashed over a sea wall, flooding the beach and a playground.
Waves crash over a sea wall in Bayville, NY on Monday, Oct. 29, 2012 (credit: Mona Rivera/1010 WINS)
“We’re looking at something worse than anything that we’ve seen in our lifetime,” Freeport Fire Chief David Baer said.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents of Fire Island and in surge zone areas in Babylon, Islip, Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southampton and Southold.
The ferries from Fire Island were packed Sunday as streets in the resort community began to flood.
While the evacuation is mandatory police said people who chose to stay will not be forcibly removed, but they added that refusing to leave is risky.
“If they choose to stay they’re on their own,” Ocean Beach Police Chief George Hess said. “We’re going to shut down the police department, the fire department and EMS services.”
Fire Island has thousands of residents during the summer, but this time of year it’s mostly empty. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people live in Fire Island year-round.
Mangano ordered a mandatory evacuation at 2 p.m. Sunday for storm surge areas along the north and south shores. All of Long Beach, Lido Beach, Atlantic Beach and Point Lookout are under the mandatory evacuation order.
“Many are moving, but of course there are those that always ignore the warnings,” Mangano said. “We again appeal to them, if they are not concerned for their own public safety please think about our first responders and remove yourself from the anticipated zones.”
“Our concern are the high tides in the evening will be coupled with the high wind advisory that we’re expecting here beginning with hurricane gusts as early as 1 p.m. today and then continuing over into Tuesday,” Mangano said. “This is a very concerning event, a very dangerous storm, we need to take the precautions that we put out.”
American Red Cross shelters have been opened throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
“Follow the warnings; they’re out there for a reason,” John Miller with the American Red Cross. “We’re working cooperatively with our partners in both Suffolk and Nassau County to insure that we have proper coverage. And listen to the wordings, watch the news and be informed.”
In Nassau County, shelters were opened at Nassau Community College, Levittown Memorial High School, Locust Valley High School and SUNY Old Westbury.
In Suffolk County, shelters were opened at Hampton Bays High School, Sachem East High School and the Brentwood High School Sonderling Building.
Thousands of outages have been reported by the Long Island Power Authority, mostly in Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay.
LIPA said crews from Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Texas assisting in the storm effort and are reaching out for additional crews throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Chief Operating Officer Michael Hervey is warning customers to be prepared for long-duration outages, lasting as long as seven to 10 days.
