BEGIN TAKING STEPS TO REDUCE DAMAGE FROM HURRICANE EARL

As you may have seen from yesterday's article, "Sayville FD Asks Residents to Begin Preparing For Hurricane Earl", there are lots of little things that you need to begin gathering to be well prepared for a hurricane (or any other weather emergency). While it's tempting to let days pass and put off preparations, you probably won't have enough time to properly prepare yourself once the bad weather begins closing in.

Today, the Sayville Fire Department would like to encourage you to assess your home's vulnerability to wind and water damage by taking a few steps now to reduce storm damage. If the storm never comes, you haven't wasted your time. After all, most of the items on the list are just basic routine maintenance items around the house.

- Make sure trees and shrubs around your home are well trimmed

- Unclog rain gutters and downspouts

- Fix missing roof shingles

- Secure outside items or bring them inside

- Secure your boat

- Make sure sump pumps are in working order

- Make sure your fuel tank is anchored

- Repair broken fences