Tri-State Area bracing for heavy rain, damaging winds & flooding
NEW YORK -- Heavy rain, damaging winds and flooding are all expected across the Tri-State Area during Sunday's storm.
The holiday decorations are up, but just in case they come down Sunday, Long Islanders like Ricky Caputo, who lives in Baldwin, are prepared.
"I put sand here ... I stake them in, and then I tape them here ... On the roof, we add extra clips and stuff," he said.
Others are hoping their outdoor Christmas inflatables weather the storm.
"I guess it's gonna depend on how bad it really gets tomorrow," Oceanside resident Danielle Pumo said. "We might take them down or, I mean, they're secured to the ground. Maybe just fix them a little bit. Secure them tighter."
Officials say some areas on the island could see more than 3 inches of rain and wind gusts of up to 60 mph.
The town of Hempstead is on the ready.
"We are expecting trees to come down and branches," Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin said. "We've also had our street sweepers and sewer cleaners out there this week cleaning up as many leaves as we potentially could ... We've been out cleaning storm drains, making sure low-lying areas are gonna be OK. It's fall. It's gonna be a lot of rain, land eaves are on the ground. Roads are gonna be very dangerous."
In New York City, a travel advisory was issued and a Flood Watch is in effect in the five boroughs.
New Yorkers are hoping heavy rain does not lead to major flooding like what we had in September.
"If you don't need to go out tomorrow, particularly in the afternoon, where you're gonna have 40 mph winds and significant rainfall, stay home," Clavin said.
In East Rockaway, families are hoping their cars don't get damaged like past storms.