Police Chief Richard Doyle this morning met with Fire Chief Steve Waugh, and officials from Easton Emergency Medical Services and the Public Works Department to prepare for Tropical Storm Isaias’s arrival in the local area tomorrow, Tuesday.
Doyle, who is also Easton’s emergency management director, said they are getting equipment ready and checking generators, among other tasks.
“We expect the worst from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 2 a.m. Wednesday,” Doyle said. “You don’t want to be traveling tomorrow evening. Try to stay home, but if you have to be out, try not to drive around trees and don’t go near any downed wires. There could be wires tangled up in fallen trees.”
Doyle said emergency services officials would be meeting again Tuesday morning to further assess the situation based on how the storm tracks.
He urged people to charge their cell phones and devices and sign up for state alerts at ctalerts and for Easton news alerts on the town website. Residents can report outages and monitor area outages on the UI website.
Tropical Storm Isaias is forecast by the National Weather Service to turn north-northeast this afternoon along the U.S. southeast coast. Isaias will continue moving northeast tonight and slowly weaken as it accelerates northeast on Tuesday, likely moving over the local area Tuesday afternoon and evening.
There is still some timing and intensity uncertainty, but confidence continues to increase with respect to the magnitude of local hazards and impacts.
The main threats involve heavy rainfall, strong winds and minor to moderate coastal flooding, along with high surf and dangerous rip currents. Locally heavy rain is expected. The strongest winds are likely across Long Island, coastal Connecticut, and the New York City Metro area.
Dangerous marine conditions are likely Tuesday and Tuesday night. High surf and dangerous rip currents are expected along ocean beaches Monday through Wednesday.
The effects from Tropical Storm Isaias are expected to diminish quickly from southwest to northeast across the area Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Storm Safety Tips
UI offers helpful ways to stay safe. The possibility of an outage exists whenever severe weather strikes. You can prepare by taking an inventory of your home and stocking up on any supplies you might need.
Be sure to have flashlights, candles, matches, a disposable lighter, a first-aid kit, a battery-operated radio or TV, and a battery-operated clock. Maintain a supply of extra batteries of various sizes. Fill containers with drinking water (one gallon per person, per day).
Charge your mobile phone so you can report outages or emergencies. Store key contacts in your phone’s memory, and keep a paper copy in case your batteries run out. UI’s toll-free line is 800 7 CALL UI (800.722.5584).
If you have a home generator, be sure it is installed by a licensed electrician. The generator must be connected to your home’s wiring through a special transfer switch to ensure that the house wires are isolated from the utility wires so that UI lines cannot be energized by your generator. Do not run a generator indoors and keep it away from open doors and windows.
If you or someone in your home uses electronic life-support or medical-monitoring equipment, you should have a back-up plan in case an extended power outage occurs. UI has a program to register “life support” customers. Call UI at 800 7 CALL UI (800.722.5584) to find out more.
