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Sep 6, 2008 11:12 am US/Eastern
L.I. Officials Not Taking Any Chances With Hanna
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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David Manning (L) and Mark Manning installs metal storm shutters in preparation for winds and rains anticipated with the arrival of Tropical Storm Hannah.
Logan Mock-Bunting/Getty Images
Long Island's south shore is bracing for Hanna. Although it may not be a hurricane when it gets there, the heavy wind and rain could still do some severe damage.
"The worst case scenario of a storm would be a breech in the island," said Gil Hanse, of the Babylon Emergency Preparedness.
Bulldozers have been at work for the past 24 hours and crews have been dragging anything that can float or be moved by surf to higher ground.
The people protecting the beach are hoping Hanna moves through quickly - one high tide and out.
Surfers say they already feel the storm's presence, but not by surfing the water. It's something you can't see from shore.
"The jellyfish drove us out of the water, you know, because those two go hand in hand. Storms come in, they drive all the jellyfish. [I] couldn't even stay in the water anymore," surfer Stefan Schwartze said.
At Babylon Town Hall on Friday night, the chiefs of volunteer fire departments put their departments on light stand-by - ready to call in extra help if needed.
"We feel it's gonna be nothing, but we don't take that chance anymore. We're ready. We're a town that's used to water, so we're staying ready," said Steve Smoldon, Babylon's assistant fire chief.
The Long Island Power Authority hopes winds won't wreak havoc.
"We're prepared for quite a significant storm tomorrow. It looks like Hanna is certainly going to impact Long Island. We're expecting over 50 mph winds and 3-4 inches of rain. That can wreak havoc on our system," said LIPA Chairman Kevin Law.
Most of their power lines are not buried, so outages are a real threat. Hundreds of thousands could be in the dark Saturday.
Residents are being urged to heed warnings.
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