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ARMONK, N.Y.- With Hurricane Irene bearing down on North Castle, emergency crews throughout the town are preparing for what could be the strongest summer storm to hit the northeast since Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
Banksville Fire Chief Al Farquhar, along with volunteers at the Banksville Independent Fire Company, made sure Friday that their equipment was full of fuel and ready to go in case of any emergency situations.
We checked all of our pumps and our equipment and were ready for it, bring it on, Banksville Fire Chief Al Farquhar said. We made sure everything was topped off with fuel and weve made sure all of our house generators, lights and everything of that nature is operational.
The North Castle Citizen Corp Counsel (NC4), which is a town committee with the mission of offering shelter in times of need, will offer shelter at Hergenhan Recreation Center on Maple Avenue if needed.
We are in the process of moving our equipment to the Hergenhan Center, where we will set up the center tomorrow, Jane Cahn of NC4 said. We have cots, blankets, medical supplies and the center has a generator. We will provide food and snacks and Hergenhan Center is a wonderful facility to hold this in.
According to Cahn, the winter of 2010 was the last time the Hergenhan Center was used as a place of refuge when snow storms hit in February and March.
North Castle Town Supervisor Bill Weaver, in an email blast, advised North Castle residents to take precautionary measures as Irene approaches including removing lawn furniture from the yard, securing doors and windows and making sure plenty of bottled water and non-perishable foods are on-hand.
Weaver also relayed an advisory from Con Edison about the potential for power outages in the area.
Con Edison has advised that the storm's high winds have the potential to topple trees and power lines throughout the company's service area, Weaver said. If you see downed electrical wires, do not go near them. Immediately report downed wires to North Castle Police.
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