Officials across Nassau say they're prepared for this weekend's nor'easter
Nassau County and town officials are taking proactive measures ahead of this weekend's nor'easter, clearing drains, closing beaches and building sand dunes to mitigate wind and flood risks.
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With a weekend nor'easter bearing down on Long Island, officials across Nassau County are building up beach defenses and urging residents to prepare for high winds and coastal flooding.
At Tobay Beach, berms have been built to protect the tunnels which lead to the ocean.
"Bottom line is we don't know how bad this storm will be," said Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino.
The berms aim to prevent the tunnels from getting clogged.
Saladino told News 12 that erosion is always a concern.
"We lose our beach every year, and we build it back so we have a brand new beautiful beach ready for Memorial Day weekend," Saladino said.
Long Beach City Manager Daniel Creighton said the "biggest message here" is that "it's better to be prepared than be surprised."
He said the city has all of its equipment maintained and they have everything moved to higher ground.
Creighton said they're cleaning out all the storm and roof drains and making sure everything is tied down that can be blown away, because "this isn't just a water event, it's a wind event."
Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti said the town has closed its beaches for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
He said they've built up sand dunes to prevent erosion.
He said they expect some coastal flooding within the Town of Hempstead, particularly in the Island Park area, and encouraged residents to stay indoors and to avoid driving through flooded streets.
