As Hurricane Sandy approaches our area, the Yorktown Police Department would like to share some important information with Town residents.
A State of Emergency has been declared for the Town of Yorktown effective 6:00PM this evening until rescinded. During a State of Emergency, all non-essential travel on Yorktown roads is prohibited.
A shelter has been established at the Yorktown Community & Cultural Center (YCCC) located at 1974 Commerce Street and will open on Tuesday at Noon. The YCCC is closed Monday and on Tuesday will be closed to all business except for the shelter. The timing of the shelter opening coincides with the ability to safely travel to the shelter. Residents need to be self-sufficient for the next 48 hours so please take the necessary steps to do so immediately. Due to limited resources, the use of the shelter should be a last resort after steps such as staying with friends or family have been exhausted. If you are in need of immediate emergency evacuation, call 911.
Closings:
Shelter Notes
Storms of the magnitude place tremendous strain on local emergency resources. For this reason, residents are urged to use sound judgement in calling emergency services for non-essential issues during the height of the storm. Here are some guidelines for who and when to call during the height of the storm:
Police, Fire or Medial Emergencies
Yorktown Police Department - (914) 962-4141 or 911
Power Outages
As a reminder, even lines that appear "dead" can be deadly! DO NOT go near down wires. If you encounter a hazardous situation requiring the immediate response of Fire or Police, do not hesitate to call 911. Please do not tax the limited resources of emergency services, however, with simple power outage reports. Instead, call your respective utility company:
Note: We often receive complaints from Town residents that the utility company arrived at their location and then "left and the power is still not on". Utility companies main objective is to make down lines safe. They will later return to restore power.
Traffic Updates
Please DO NOT call the Yorktown Police Department inquiring about road conditions. There is a State of Emergency effective 6:00PM this evening prohibiting all non essential traffic. Our dispatch staff will likely be unable to commit time to discussing road conditions.
Use of Generators
If you have a portable generator, please make sure you only use it in a well ventilated outside of your home. For more information on generator safety, click here.
Note: The use of generators outside homes during a power outage IS NOT a violation of the Town Code noise ordinance. Please do not call with noise complaints regarding generator noise.
If we are to use hurricane Floyd of 1999 as a benchmark, we can expect widespread flooding and potential collapse of major roadways. Downed trees will obstruct numerous roadways and make travel in some cases impossible. Widespread prolonged power outages are likely. Basements of of houses susceptible to water will likely completely flood.
Please do not underestimate the magnitude of this storm. The Yorktown Police Department in conjunction with other other Town Departments have been preparing for this storm for several days. Residents should feel confident that every preparatory measure has been taken and the various branches of government and emergency services are well prepared to ensure the safety of Town residents.
We again ask for your cooperation in exercising sound judgement in contacting emergency services for non-essential purposes during the height of the storm. Residents should also be prepared for extended response times from emergency services as travel will be nearly impossible and call volume excessive.
We will be sending out periodic updates when possible. If you know another Town resident who can benefit from this distribution list, please forward this email. They may also subscribe to this list on the home page of our website www.yorktownpd.org.
Stay Safe!
Yorktown Police Department
