Hurricane Warning

Dear Neighbor,   As you know, Hurricane Sandy is projected to make its way towards New York this weekend. With this in mind, the City of New York is making plans to keep New Yorkers safe during this storm.    Please take this time to prepare yourself and your loved ones. I hope that you take a moment to review the information below.  It's never too soon to start planning ahead and preparing .     The New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is monitoring this storm very carefully and has a wealth of information on its  website . Residents can use the OEM website or  the  NYC Severe Weather website,  or call 311 to determine whether they live in a hurricane evacuation zone. If you do, now would be a good time to check in with family and friends in the event the weather gets bad. The  American Red Cross in Greater New York has a helpful hurricane preparedness checklist available in  English ,  Spanish , and  Chinese .   The New York City Department of Environmental Protection will have crews out in advance of the storm to ensure catch basins in low-lying areas are free of obstructions, which will help mitigate flooding.    The New York City Department of Buildings is advising all builders, contractors, developers, and property owners to secure their construction sites and buildings.    Property owners should take all precautionary measures such as: Bringing inside loose, lightweight objects such as lawn and roof furniture, potted plants, garbage cans, garden tools and toys.  Anchor objects that would be unsafe outside, such as gas grills or propane tanks.  Close up and secure patio umbrellas.   Requirements for vertical netting, debris netting, and material fall protection devices at buildings and construction sites are listed  here .    As a precaution, all New York City Parks will close early on Sunday.    No decisions have been made about school on Monday, but students and parents should expect school to be in session .   Lastly I want to encourage you to prepare a "Go Bag". This is a bag you can take with you if something were to happen and you had to leave at a moment's notice. You should stock your "Go Bag" with water, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, any important medications that you take, essential documents, such as passports or other forms of ID, and an extra set of house or car keys. A guide for preparing a Go Bag can be found  here .   Stay informed about the weather this weekend by signing up for notifications from  Notify NYC .   Stay safe.    Sincerely,   Christine C. Quinn Speaker