Are you ready? More than 75 Central Westbury Civic Association (CWCA) members and community residents arrived early and set poised to hear guest speaker Terry Winters, director of Hurricane and Emergency Preparedness.

Deputy Presiding Officer Roger Corbin and CWCA President Mannie Sweat collaborated to bring this timely subject to CWCA membership and Westbury residents.

Winters really got everybody's attention when he made several shocking statements. We were very concerned when he said that we may be facing a hurricane emergency during Labor Day this year. He continued with several vital statistics and described the damage hurricanes can do. One he described in 1938 when an inlet was formed in South Hampton changing the topography of the bay. Winters wanted us here on Long Island to know how vulnerable we are. He said that since we live on an island, evacuation is almost impossible. To stress this fact, he showed slides whereby one could see long lines of hundreds of cars attempting to leave the island, but could only move at a snail's pace. He also mentioned that the South Shore, because of its proximity to the water, would have more flooding and damage than the North Shore.

Much more information was shared with a very appreciative audience. One item that he stressed was that everybody should maintain, at all times, a survival kit. The kit should contain photo identification and proof of address, insurance policies, banking and credit card information, emergency contact information, including names and phone numbers of those in your personal support network, family members, doctors, equipment suppliers and utility companies, family photos, a first aid kit, blankets and pillows, change of clothes, childcare items, cell phone w/spare batteries, hard-soled shoes, money, auxiliary medical equipment with extra batteries, if necessary (i.e., oxygen, scooter battery, hearing aid), medical alert bracelet, pet carrier with toy, food and water supply for pets, leash/harness with ID tag, medicine supply and written dosage instructions (rotate to ensure it does not expire).

The question-and-answer period was very informative and audience participation heavy.

Both Corbin and Winters provided packets featuring hurricane preparedness material. I thanked both Corbin and Winters for making this presentation possible to the Westbury community residents. The timeliness of this presentation, hopefully, will save lives and property.