VILLAGE OF RYE BROOK HURRICANE/COASTAL STORM EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN 938 King Street Rye Brook, N.Y. 10573
Purpose of this plan The primary intent of this plan is to assist those who will play key roles in assisting the Village of Rye Brook to respond to a hurricane or coastal storm threat. The desired goals are: 1. Identify logistical concerns and resource integration requirements for a storm event. 2. Discuss the coordination of public warnings, instructions, and information updates. 3. Discuss the coordination of mass care, sheltering and human services support. To facilitate the above, the preparation for the storm should begin as soon as a storm is recognized to be possibly headed toward the New York metropolitan area. National Weather Service forecasts and notifications received from the Westchester County Office of Emergency Management should be the primary source of information. SAFFIR/SIMPSON Hurricane Scale Hurricanes are rated from a scale of one to five, five being considered the most destructive. Category three, four and five storms are considered to be major storms. The Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale is used to determine the destructive power of a hurricane. Saffir / Simpson Hurricane Scale Category Winds Types of Damage 1 74-95 mph Minimal 2 96-110 mph Moderate 3 111-130 mph Extensive 4 131-155 mph Extreme 5* 156 + mph Catastrophic *Probability is very low for a Category 5 Hurricane Page 2
New York Hurricane History Coastal storms, including nor'easters, tropical storms and hurricanes, can and do affect New York City Area. In fact, New York's densely populated and highly developed coastline makes the city among the most vulnerable to hurricane-related damage. 1938: Long Island hit by a category 3 hurricane, 6th costliest storm of all time. 1938 1960: Hurricane Donna created an 11-foot storm tide in the New York Harbor that caused extensive pier damage. Forced 300 families to evacuate Long Island. 1960 Page 3
1999: Floyd, weakened to a tropical storm, brought sustained 60 mph winds and dumped 10-15 inches of rain on upstate New Jersey and New York State. 2004: The remains of Hurricane Frances in September flooded New York City subways, stranding some passengers aboard trains that had to be stopped by flooded tracks. Page 4
Key Lessons Learned from Katrina and Rita While many aspects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were certainly unique, the events serve as an excellent crucible to analyze emergency management and response systems. Major areas of concern include: Systematic Evacuation Evacuation Routes that can support evacuee needs i.e. gas stations, rest stops Down line sheltering and medical care capability for evacuees. i.e. evacuation centers. Systematic re-entry plan Post disaster self-sufficient sustainability should exceed 120 hours Communications will fail Addressing special needs individuals Arrangements for pets Technological systems must be backed up. i.e. mirror systems, hot-sites, paper-systems, analog phones, satellite phones, etc Emergency Management Systems / Agency coordination i.e. city, county, state, federal Reimbursement plan Establish pre-event service contract with vendors i.e. debris removal, commodities. Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Activation The Rye Brook Emergency Operation Center will be staffed with members from the Police Department, Village Administrator s Office, Department of Public Works, Building Department, EMS and Fire Department. The Rye Brook Emergency Operation Center will have three different levels of operation. The level of operation will be determined by members of the Emergency Operation Team. Hour estimates associated with each activation level may vary according to the time of year, day or week, etc. Level 1 --- Full EOC Activation 6 hours prior to arrival of zero hour Level 2 --- Partial EOC Activation 12 24 hours prior to the arrival of zero hour Level 3 --- Preliminary EOC Activation 120 96 hours prior to the arrival of zero hour Zero hour is based on arrival of tropical storm force winds (sustained wind of 39 mph) and its time definition would be coordinated with NYC and NWS. Based on this, our zero hour will likely arrive a short time prior to sustained winds Page 5
Evacuation Plan Evacuation areas to be identified based on previous incidents of coastal flooding. Residents who do not need to evacuate will be encourage to shelter in place for the duration of the storm. Evacuations will be coordinated with Westchester County Office of Emergency Management in order to have a unified message to residents and the call to evacuate will not be made until announced by the WCOEM. Evacuees will be encouraged to seek shelter with friends or family. Shelters To be determine and coordinated with American Red Cross, Village of Port Chester and City of Rye. (On11/05/07 a meeting is planned to discuss options) Page 6
Emergency Operation Center Activity Checklist Hurricane Preparedness Prior to Hurricane Season Update Department Standard Operating Procedures. Mitigate vulnerable critical facilities. Solidify and review mutual aid agreements, if applicable. Replenish supplies and update paperwork at EOC Create maps of houses that have been previously flooded. R-911 survey to discover resident with special needs Generators for AJP/Highway Garage Create agreement with CP/Rye for fuel if our pumps are out. Consider secondary sources for fuel. e.g. Blind Brook Club. Community information line R-911 Purchase air mattresses for emergency personnel Confirm availability of shelter management team members Coordinate with Rye/Port Chester for formal shelter agreements with American Red Cross. Enlarged and laminated maps allow marking with grease pencil. Check with Nextel for emergency communications. Create area on village web site for storm updates PD to test portable base station. Person Responsible Status of Task Date/Time Completed Page 7
120 96 hours to ZERO HOUR (continued) Hurricane Season (June 1 November 30) Days Person Responsible R-911 message to be communicated to police officers/firefighters that may be off during a majority of the five day window. Verify flood areas for anticipated R-911 messages. Begin coordinating with Port Chester (village and school) any R-911 messages that they may be planning to send to avoid contention of the system between the three jurisdictions. Department heads and staff to be alerted of the storm potential. Review contact list, make sure that it is up-todate. Inventory supplies and arrange for any necessary deliveries such as fuel. Review event schedule for AJP, Village Hall and Recreation. Make sure that Senior Citizens Coordinator and Recreation Superintendent know that their events may have to be cancelled or postponed due to the storm. AJP maybe needed for temporary sheltering. Building Inspector to gather information for roof top inspections and construction projects. Building Inspector also to review open building permits for future safety inspections in preparation of the storm. Building Inspector to spot check previously storm damaged areas, in particular Lincoln Ave bridge and Brook Lane retaining wall. Personnel to inspect go bags and make sure all necessary equipment are available. Highway Foreman to begin to prepare for inspections of storm drains during the upcoming days. Schedule end of day meeting and review any new developments. File situation report with WCOEM Request any necessary resources thru WCOEM Preliminary activation of EOC (Level 3 Activation) Update elected officials Status of Task Date/Time Completed ~ 5 Days Page 8
96-72 hours to ZERO HOUR Hurricane Season (June 1 November 30) Person Responsible Police/Fire/Aux PD staffing reviewed advanced days off cancelled. Police/ Fire Vehicle to be inspected by Highway Dept mechanic. Also AJP bus. Woodland/Acker Drive path opened for emergency access Identify evacuation areas. Police assigned to evacuation areas prior to storm to assist residents and address any issues Tape used instead of barricades for closures. Village Administrator to secure meeting room for EOC. R-911 message prepared to be sent next day to flood prone areas. Confirm with town of Rye that Crawford Park gates will remain open. Building Inspector to contact construction sites conduct inspections. Remind departments to track costs and submit to D. Burke. C. Bradbury to alert school districts Anthony J. Posillipo (AJP) Community Center (32 Garibaldi Place) available as information and/or drop in center. Senior Citizen Coordinator and Recreation Superintendent to schedule staff post storm. Parks staff to assist with Highway duties D. Burke to act as recorder of actions and to act as go-between with AJP. Update department heads. Plan for areas for people in flood areas to park vehicles away from flood waters. Prepare cots and sleeping facilities (RBFD/Hilton/Arrowwood) for members to stay over. Fuel order placed for delivery in two days. Schedule end of day meeting and review any new developments. Update elected officials File situation report with WCOEM Request any necessary resources thru WCOEM Status of Task Date/Time Completed ~ 4 Days Page 9
72-48 hours to ZERO HOUR Hurricane Season (June 1 November 30) Person Responsible Consider broadcast video for public access channel 75/24. Safety message, how to prepare for the storm Prepare care for pets Look to stay with friends and family in Northern Westchester Message broadcasted to residents (R-911) to include that once storm hits (zero hour) emergency operations will cease, to secure loose items and consider re-locating. Increase staffing levels for police to begin 24 hours out, lodging secured for officers off-duty. Officer family members should be taken care of by this time. Emergency team members to arrange for families. All board meetings at village hall cancelled until further notice. All recreation activities cancelled until further notice. Contact nursing homes, determine what plans if any they have for the storm. Supplies delivered for EOC Water, ice, ready to eat meals, toiletries. Parks to secure loose items Consider decisions based on track of storm. Consider traffic concerns for evacuation. Officers posted at intersection chokepoints. People with special needs addressed on a case by case basis. Catch basins to be cleared. Village web site storm central activated. Direct residents to this area for information updates. Secure village/ FD buses for possible evacuations Secure 900 King Street for post storm distribution area EMS available for any mass care activities. Inspections of known construction sites that could be a potential hazard Special needs persons requested to contact village in order for them to be identified. Increased patrol at businesses and stores. Update elected officials File situation report with WCOEM Request any necessary resources thru WCOEM Status of Task Date/Time Completed ~ 3 Days Page 10
48-36 hours to ZERO HOUR Hurricane Season (June 1 November 30) Person Responsible Fuel tanks should be topped off. Develop and distribute policy on Fire Dept pumpouts. During Storm o Threat to structure or utilities After storm o Water must be above 12". o All requests through police department o Threat to utilities are priority o Evaluated by case by case basis Communicate with businesses to determine when they plan to close PD to provide extra patrol of business areas Request schools to dismiss early today, close tomorrow and duration of storm Communicate with residents on Lincoln Ave whose only access is via bridge. Evacuation Areas -- Residents would be told that once zero hour arrives, emergency response to those areas may not be possible and therefore the residents should evacuate. Prepare local orders if county does not make countywide declaration. R-911 message to evacuation group sent today R-911 prepared for Friday to general flood areas update. Schedule end of day meeting and review any new developments. Consider closing village offices at half-day. Update elected officials File situation report with WCOEM Request any necessary resources thru WCOEM Status of Task Date/Time Completed ~ 2 Days Page 11
36 24 hours to ZERO HOUR Hurricane Season (June 1 November 30) Person Responsible Families taken care of at this point EOC prepared and stocked Lodging arranged Con-Ed notification reporting procedures reinforced. Communications during storm Lt in field communicating with RBEOC/RB PD desk. DPW requests to be communicated to EOC Victor to dispatch through Ron Romano. FD requests as usual to 60 Control/PC Fire Headquarters PD desk needs to be included in all communications. Lt to desk, desk to EOC. Recovery Lock in Con-Ed contacts Threats to life priority Open main roads Recovery decisions to be made on a case-by-case basis General storm update transmitted via R-911 to residents. R-911 community information line activated. Partial activation (Level 2)of EOC at 12 hours Full activation (Level 1) of EOC at 6 hours Update elected officials File situation report with WCOEM Request any necessary resources thru WCOEM Status of Task ~ 1 1/2 Days Date/Time Completed Page 12
Emergency Contact Information Name Agency Phone Number(s)/Email Address Westchester County Office of Emergency Management (914) 864-5450 (business hours) (914) 864-5200 (when activated) (914) 813-4173 (fax) (914) 231-1819 9(24 hour) WCEOC@westchestergov.com (email) Westchester County 60 Control (914) 231-1900 (emergency) (914) 231-1905 (non-emergency) (914) 231-1819 (24 hours) Dan Iradi, Director, Response Westchester County Chapter American Red Cross 106 North Broadway White Plains, NY 10603 (914) 946-6500 ext. 300 (914) 948-5259 iradid@usa.redcross.org Scott Moore, EMS Administrator 2 nd Assistant Chief Kevin McFadden Con Edison Verizon Cablevision Port Chester Rye Rye Brook EMS Port Chester Fire Department 914-939-8112 (office) 914-490-0254 (cell) 914-939-4700 (emergency only) EMSADM2@aol.com (email) dankevinmcfadden@hotmail.com (email) 914-879-5277 (cell) Page 13