Local leaders had the opportunity to have a dialogue with some disaster-preparedness experts last week, including the man at the top, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, during a symposium at Hofstra April 19.
The conference, titled "Emergency Preparedness - Risk Based Assessments Post-9/11 and Post Katrina" - was organized by Hofstra's Center for Suburban Studies and featured a key-note speech by Chertoff that was attended by many first responders in an effort to learn how to prepare locally for a disaster. "We have to be prepared to deal with any kind of disaster, any kind of challenge," said Chertoff, who was homeland security chief during Hurricane Katrina last August.
One issue that is a chief concern for many Long Islanders, which was brought up at the forum, is how to evacuate to the mainland in the case of an emergency like a hurricane or terrorist attack. Earlier this year, state Sen. Michael Balboni (R-East Williston), who took part in a panel discussion on emergency preparedness, gave Nassau and Suffolk counties low marks for disaster preparedness after conducting an in-depth analysis in his role as chairman of the New York State Committee on Homeland Security.
Balboni said he thought it was vital for local and federal officials to have dialogues like the Hofstra forum to make sure they are prepared for emergencies. "This is the next matrix for homeland security," Balboni said of local, state and federal officials working together to prepare for emergencies.
Timothy Driscoll, Nassau County's deputy county executive for law enforcement and public safety and a Hofstra graduate, said during the panel discussion that local leaders need to prioritize when it comes to evacuating Long Island by moving residents on the South Shore, south of Merrick Road, to higher ground. "It is impossible to evacuate all four counties on geographic Long Island," Driscoll said of the need to determine whom to move in an emergency.
Driscoll also said that under the county's Office of Emergency Management plan, officials would identify the most vulnerable populations and improve technology to allow for better communications.
Morris Kramer of Atlantic Beach, an environmentalist who has spent years working to try to protect the Long Beach barrier island against a serious hurricane, expressed concerns at the forum, saying during the question-and-comment portion of the symposium following Chertoff's speech that the current evacuation routes in the area are insufficient. "We have to go back to the drawing board on evacuation," Kramer said.
He also said that he wishes Chertoff could speak to the Long Beach City Council about the importance of approving the proposed Army Corps of Engineers project to help protect the barrier island against a hurricane, since such a storm would devastate the island. Chertoff responded that he is not familiar with the details of the Army Corps plan for Long Beach, so he did not want to comment on it.
John LaBare, director of facilities for the Valley Stream Central High School district, expressed concerns about whether his schools would have the necessary emergency supplies, such as flashlights, if the buildings were used as shelters during a storm. "If we are used as an emergency shelter, most likely we are going to have no electricity, and it will be a moot point without lighting," said LaBare.
Balboni said in response to LaBare's concerns that he was going to work to make sure all schools are equipped with necessary emergency supplies so they can be prepared to be used as shelters.
U.S Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, emphasized during the forum how important it is to change the federal formula for allocating emergency resources to areas depending on how much risk they face of a terrorist attack or a severe storm. He said the Senate has been reluctant to change the formula, since many senators come from states that would receive significantly less emergency resource aid, while New York would see a large spike in money due to the vulnerability of Manhattan to terrorist attacks. "Everything has to be based on the case of risk," said King.
The symposium was one of a series of forums Hofstra's Center for Suburban Studies, launched by former Hempstead Town supervisor Richard Guardino in 2003, has held to encourage discussions among local officials and residents on a variety of topics. "In the past several years we have witnessed many countless examples of how disaster can strike," said Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz at the forum. "In today's world, disaster preparedness is important to our suburban communities and our major urban areas." |
