Residents press Long Beach council on storm warnings, sirens and NOAA cuts; county and state systems cited as backups

Several Long Beach residents used public comment at the July 15 City Council meeting to press city officials about the city’s readiness for severe weather and methods for alerting residents, expressing concern about reported staffing and budget cuts at the National Weather Service and the possibility of losing federal support.

Resident Eileen Hesch asked whether Long Beach would be affected if the National Weather Service reduced operations and whether FEMA remained in place; the council directed the question to the city’s emergency-management staff. Scott Kemmons, the official identified at the meeting as the likely contact on these matters, said Long Beach relies on a chain of notifications through Nassau County and the New York State Office of Emergency Management, and those offices have independent monitoring systems and can provide weather information to the city. “There are other avenues in place for us to get information,” Kemmons said, adding that the county and state regularly provide reports and situational updates.

James Hodge, a resident who said he had been part of prior emergency response efforts, challenged the council to detail evacuation and community-engagement plans for vulnerable populations. Council staff and emergency personnel said the city has a hurricane-evacuation plan, an email-alert system and robocall notifications and that the police department conducts drive-through neighborhood checks using public-address systems during emergencies. Officials said the city can publish a fuller emergency-preparedness report on request.

Several speakers raised the absence of a community-wide siren system. Emergency staff said Long Beach does not currently employ a town-wide siren network; instead, emergency messages are distributed via wireless emergency alerts (which are delivered to mobile phones unless the device is off), the county/state notification channels, police drive-through PA announcements and lifeguard or field-unit checks in areas like the beach.

Council members and staff responded that Nassau County and the state maintain weather-monitoring capabilities, and that the city receives National Weather Service products daily while also receiving county-consolidated information. Scott Kemmons said he could research specific changes to National Weather Service capabilities and report back to the council. Council President Finn and others said they would request a formal city report on emergency notifications and outreach to faith and community leaders to improve communication to vulnerable populations.

What residents asked for and what staff said they would do

- Residents asked whether Long Beach would lose critical storm-warning information if federal weather services were reduced; county and state offices were identified as alternate sources for weather monitoring and alerts. - Residents requested better community engagement and distribution channels for vulnerable populations; staff said the city will prepare a report describing notification systems and distribute it to the public. - Residents asked about sirens and nighttime notification; staff said wireless emergency alerts reach phones (unless turned off), and that police and other city units perform in-person or PA-based neighborhood notifications when needed.

Ending

City officials committed to preparing and publishing a report outlining emergency-notification systems and outreach steps. They also noted established plans for hurricane evacuation and existing notification tools while acknowledging that federal capabilities and staffing changes at the National Weather Service could affect the information flow and merit further monitoring.