Senator Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City) today announced a partnership in his district with Waldbaums, Stop and Shop, C-Town, Bravo, King Kullen and Pathmark supermarkets to help educate residents on how to prepare their homes should a hurricane strike our area. As we enter the peak of the 2007 hurricane season, Senator Hannon will be supplying the supermarkets with his "Get Ready! Hurricane Preparedness" brochure to distribute free to shoppers and residents. Brochures will be available beginning September 5th.

This summer's storms and the subsequent flooding were a warning sign for us all. Given that we live on an island, getting to the mainland United States would be a difficult task in the event of a severe hurricane, as we witnessed by the flooding on many major roadways.

"Long Islanders are lucky that a major hurricane hasn't hit this area since Hurricane Gloria in 1985," Senator Hannon said. "But the question to ask is 'how much longer until that luck runs out?' Residents should prepare their homes and family early." Senator Hannon expressed his gratitude to supermarket store owners and managers who are helping to distribute thousands of the "Get Ready!" brochures to residents.

After a hurricane warning is issued, many residents rush to their local supermarket to stock up on necessities that would carry a family through days or weeks without power. Senator Hannon's Get Ready! brochure informs residents about items to have handy in the house this time of year such as water, nonperishable foods, flashlights with extra batteries, first aid supplies, medications and other family needs.

Many experts say Long Island is long overdue for a major category hurricane. Hurricane Gloria hit Long Island shores in 1985 as a relatively weak category 2 storm, but it still packed 85 mph sustained winds and gusts up to 111 mph. More than 200,000 Long Island residents had to evacuate low lying areas, and over 683,000 lost electrical power.

According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) web site, an early season forecast stated an 85% chance of an above-normal hurricane season - up 5% from 2006. This prediction indicates a continuation of above-normal activity that began in 1995.

For a copy of the "Get Ready! Hurricane Preparedness" brochure, you may also contact Senator Hannon's office at 516-739-1700 or see a more extensive emergency preparation list on his web site at www.kemphannon.com.