In recent weeks, Boy Scout Joseph Maksym has been hard at work trying to spread the word about an upcoming lecture on hurricane preparedness, which he has planned for the benefit of the local community. Maksym, who is hosting the program as his Eagle Scout project, has announced the event to several community organizations. The lecture will take place in the auditorium of Unqua School, 350 Unqua Road, Massapequa on April 3 at 7:30 p.m.

"We will have Town of Oyster Bay Councilman Leonard Symons, also Tim Murray of the Massapequa Fire Department, and others to give this presentation," Maksym announced. "This important lecture may save lives. Find out what you need to know to protect you, your family and your property." Many forecasters feel Long Island is overdue for a major hurricane, and the hurricane season officially gets underway in June.

The completion of a community service project, known as the Eagle Scout project, is one of a series of steps a Boy Scout must take in order to reach the coveted rank of Eagle Scout. Maksym is trying to achieve the prestigious honor as a member of Massapequa Boy Scout Troop #576.

One of the featured speakers at the lecture, Councilman Symons, is a highly-regarded authority in meteorology, hurricane prediction, and emergency preparedness. He trained at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, and has completed several projects with on-air meteorologists at the weather channel in Atlanta, Georgia. He has a digital weather station at home complete with a satellite dish accessing Doppler radar, the latest satellite pictures and a host of other weather information.

Symons helped develop a disaster preparedness plan for the town and has led a fight to institute state-wide Special Needs Legislation, which was signed by New York State Governor George Pataki, to provide for the evacuation of those in need of aid during an emergency, such as the elderly and disabled.

The councilman commended Maksym for coordinating the hurricane lecture. "If an exceptionally strong hurricane strikes the major metropolitan area, such as the New York area, we may be talking about the $50 billion hurricane right here in our own backyard. Such a storm would be worse than the devastation Hurricane Andrew caused in South Florida in 1992, where not one official wind gauge survived Andrew's peak winds. Knowledge is power, and people can never know too much about hurricanes and hurricane preparedness," Symons stated. "Joe is doing a fine job in organizing this seminar, and more important, he is doing a great service for his community in helping spread the hurricane preparedness message. I hope residents will take advantage of this opportunity to get some valuable and possibly life-saving information about hurricanes."

Maksym also encouraged local residents to attend the lecture. He noted that those with questions about the matter may call him at 798-1703.