News: Search Update for Gilgo Beach

(Long Island, N.Y.) The search for a missing person and serial killer investigation continued today amidst overcast skies along the now infamous Ocean Parkway. Suffolk County Police Units and other personnel finished up their three-day full-scale search from Oak Beach to the Nassau County border. Authorities maintain that they did as thorough a job as possible canvassing the South Shore barrier island.

Monday’s investigation will branch out of Suffolk County and breach into Nassau. As of today, police plan on searching specific areas from the Nassau/Suffolk line to the Jones Beach tower. Today’s investigation included a command post off the left westbound lane of Ocean Parkway, a little more than two miles east of the Nassau County border. Monday’s search will bring about fifty state troopers to the area, in addition to Nassau County Police and State Park Police. The investigations in both counties will follow common procedure, and the search in Nassau County will be conducted near a wildlife sanctuary.

Long Island residents will see Nassau and Suffolk County authorities working together with State Police to solve a common goal. So far, all eight remains have been found on the Suffolk County side of the border and on the north side of the roadway. This week’s findings, which include four additional sets of remains, have prompted authorities to extend their search westward into Nassau County. The question lingers of how far police will have to travel, and how much the search will extend, before their investigation is complete.

Certain conditions have made the timing optimum for the ongoing search, especially aspects of the investigation involving cadaver-sniffing dogs. The increase in temperatures, the loosening of the ground, and the pre-bloom status of the vegetation has made the timing ideal for undergoing the vigorous search efforts. Police and authorities have assured the public that all steps have been taken to make the search as efficient as possible, and that they have done everything short of cutting down the brush and plowing the landscape. Regardless of conditions, the backdrop of the investigation is not an easy area to search and manage.

Some reports stated that members of the Special Patrol Bureau, including the search coordinator, claimed that police recruits have had to set upon the search tasks wearing boots and jumpsuits. After the police have been forcefully pushing through the thick brush, rough vegetation, and hostile landscape, their jumpsuits and clothing have been torn. As a result, they have suffered from scratches and poison ivy.

As police have moved methodically up and down along the parkway, utilizing all units to search for more findings, reports have surfaced stating that three-fourths of the area was tackled as of last night’s investigation. The area police have targeted was the seven-and-a-half mile stretch of land between Oak Beach and the Nassau County Border.

Friends and family members of the victims, four of which have been identified, have been speaking their concerns over the investigation proceedings. A memorial day for the victims is scheduled for sometime in the middle of June, and will take place near Gilgo Beach. One family member stated that the estimated turnout for the planned day of remembrance will depend on the body count.

News: Former New York State Senator Pleads Not Guilty

(Long Island, N.Y.) A fifty-seven-year-old former New York State Senator pled not guilty on Tuesday to all charges in his federal fraud case. He was the former Democratic Majority Leader and was faced with revised indictment charges that included tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the United States Government. His thirty-five-year-old son is also facing similar charges.

Coming out of the Brooklyn Federal Court, the former state senator claimed that he was certain he’d be exonerated on the old and new charges. The new charges include accusations of subscribing to false and fraudulent tax returns. The father and son duo was previously accused of taking money from a federal-funded health clinic in the Bronx.

The pair has already been charged with embezzling at least half a million dollars from the health clinic. Accusations against them have stated that the money was used personally on expensive meals, concerts, and Broadway shows. Some of the more notable expenses include pony rides during family birthday parties and a $49K payment on a Bentley.

The health clinic is designed to provide services to poor patients and is taxpayer subsidized. FBI search warrants revealed an estimated ninety boxes worth of evidence that contained hundreds of thousands of documents from the Soundview Health Center. That evidence has been made available to defense attorneys by prosecutors on the case.

About a million dollars a year was given to the health clinic from federal funds alone. The years in question range from 2005-2009, and accuse the father and son of using the clinic’s funds as a personal resource. The tax fraud charges came after this issue had been addressed to authorities.

In January, federal prosecutors handling the case allegedly telegraphed their decision to proceed with additional charges and counts to the defendants. This took place during a court hearing when the prosecution originally presented the evidence taken from the defendants’ healthcare firm. Following the court proceeding, the United States Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn offered the pair a plea deal. If the father and son had chosen to admit to wrongdoings, they could have received a lesser sentence.

The former New York State Senator has refused all plea bargains, having his attorney decline the prosecution’s offer. Both he and his son will await trail, beginning with jury selection on September 12th in the Brooklyn Federal Court. Reports coming from a press release claimed that the former senator told interviewers he was fine, ready, and looking forward to the trial in September.

If convicted, both father and son could face at least fifty-five years in prison. In addition to prison time, they must forfeit all of their profits to the Internal Revenue Service. Following their arraignment, father and son were released on $750K bail by the court. The Obama Administration has taken steps to ensure that the United States Government has more funding options to battle and defend tax evasion crimes.

News: Bed Bug Task Force in Nassau County

(Long Island, N.Y.) This week the newly-created Bed Bug Task Force will hold a workshop meeting in Freeport’s Recreation Center for property managers, housing inspectors, and landlords interested in bed bug management. Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice have teamed up to create the Bed Bug Task Force. A second meeting is also available for tenants and homeowners.

The task force began after the Nassau County Department of Health Complex in Uniondale for Health and Human Services was infected with the pests last year. Several meetings were arranged between county officials and members of the Civil Service Employee Association Local 830, including the union’s president, to deal with the issue of bed bugs in the workplace. The problem was ongoing, spanning at least a few months, and some sources claimed that the bed bugs were resisting efforts of removal.

The Nassau County Department of Health Complex was not the first significant government building to address the problem. In September of 2009 the New York City Department of Health Offices were infected, and some reports have stated that these types of buildings may be more at risk of infestation. Also, the Bronx Psychiatric Center in Morris Park was documented for a bed bug epidemic. The facility had between three and four hundred beds when union members working in the building reported the issue.

The Civil Services Employee Association Local 401 represented the facility’s nurses, housekeepers, and maintenance workers, totaling over five hundred and fifty employees. These workers spotted the bed bugs at a nursing station and tracked them to bedrooms inside a ward. The employees also filed a Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau compliant, and criticized the treatment procedure. They claimed that the bed bug outbreak was treated from room to room rather than by evacuating individual wards.

Following this action, the State Labor Department inspected the building, and bed bugs were found in at least two other wards on different occasions. A second union, the Public Employees Federation, which represents the hospital’s psychologists, psychiatrists, and secretaries, also took action against the bed bug issue. Bed bugs are able to bite anyone, whether it is patients or staff. They often cause anxiety, sleeplessness, and ailments that are especially devastating in a mental health facility.

According to the Nassau County Department of Health website, bed bug infestations declined after World War II but have been on the rise over the last decade. Reasons for the recent increase of these pests can include changes in pest management strategies, increase in travel, and transference of used furniture. The website lists contact numbers for tenants experiencing bed bug issues, leading them to the Nassau County Department of Health’s Office of Community Sanitation. Homeowners with infestation issues are directed to the Nassau County Department of Health Healthy Homes Program, and hotel/motel owners should reach the Nassau County Department of Health Bureau of Environmental Sanitation.

The new task force will include a worker from the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program and New York City Bed Bug Advisory Board. According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website, bed bugs are classified as small insects that feed on human blood. The can survive for months without feeding, and turn a brighter shade of red as their bodies swell with blood. They are largely nocturnal and affect humans while they are sleeping. The bites are painless but will become large, itchy welts in time, though they are not known to spread any diseases. They are transferred in luggage, furniture, and clothing and can travel between cracks in floors and walls.

News: Bed Bug Task Force in Nassau County

(Long Island, N.Y.) This week the newly-created Bed Bug Task Force will hold a workshop meeting in Freeport’s Recreation Center for property managers, housing inspectors, and landlords interested in bed bug management. Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice have teamed up to create the Bed Bug Task Force. A second meeting is also available for tenants and homeowners.

The task force began after the Nassau County Department of Health Complex in Uniondale for Health and Human Services was infected with the pests last year. Several meetings were arranged between county officials and members of the Civil Service Employee Association Local 830, including the union’s president, to deal with the issue of bed bugs in the workplace. The problem was ongoing, spanning at least a few months, and some sources claimed that the bed bugs were resisting efforts of removal.

The Nassau County Department of Health Complex was not the first significant government building to address the problem. In September of 2009 the New York City Department of Health Offices were infected, and some reports have stated that these types of buildings may be more at risk of infestation. Also, the Bronx Psychiatric Center in Morris Park was documented for a bed bug epidemic. The facility had between three and four hundred beds when union members working in the building reported the issue.

The Civil Services Employee Association Local 401 represented the facility’s nurses, housekeepers, and maintenance workers, totaling over five hundred and fifty employees. These workers spotted the bed bugs at a nursing station and tracked them to bedrooms inside a ward. The employees also filed a Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau compliant, and criticized the treatment procedure. They claimed that the bed bug outbreak was treated from room to room rather than by evacuating individual wards.

Following this action, the State Labor Department inspected the building, and bed bugs were found in at least two other wards on different occasions. A second union, the Public Employees Federation, which represents the hospital’s psychologists, psychiatrists, and secretaries, also took action against the bed bug issue. Bed bugs are able to bite anyone, whether it is patients or staff. They often cause anxiety, sleeplessness, and ailments that are especially devastating in a mental health facility.

According to the Nassau County Department of Health website, bed bug infestations declined after World War II but have been on the rise over the last decade. Reasons for the recent increase of these pests can include changes in pest management strategies, increase in travel, and transference of used furniture. The website lists contact numbers for tenants experiencing bed bug issues, leading them to the Nassau County Department of Health’s Office of Community Sanitation. Homeowners with infestation issues are directed to the Nassau County Department of Health Healthy Homes Program, and hotel/motel owners should reach the Nassau County Department of Health Bureau of Environmental Sanitation.

The new task force will include a worker from the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program and New York City Bed Bug Advisory Board. According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website, bed bugs are classified as small insects that feed on human blood. The can survive for months without feeding, and turn a brighter shade of red as their bodies swell with blood. They are largely nocturnal and affect humans while they are sleeping. The bites are painless but will become large, itchy welts in time, though they are not known to spread any diseases. They are transferred in luggage, furniture, and clothing and can travel between cracks in floors and walls.

News: More Remains Found at Gilgo Beach

(Long Island, N.Y.) Today’s search for evidence in the investigation of a possible serial killer and the disappearance of a missing woman expanded west to the Nassau County line after three more sets of remains were discovered Monday. The recent findings were discovered within five hours of yesterday’s search in the underbrush between Oak Beach and Gilgo Beach.

The investigation set for today will place a police command center vehicle along the parkway and will include marked and unmarked officer cars in various areas. These additions to the search were scheduled to arrive after nine this morning. Though the rainy forecast of today was enough to delay a full-scale search in the manner that last week’s was delayed, yesterday’s discoveries have kept it on.

What’s under investigation is the seven-and-a-half mile area of land between Oak Beach and the Nassau County border near the popular Jones Beach. Police are waiting for the medical examiner’s report from their Suffolk County office in Hauppauge. DNA testing in the presence of a forensic anthropologist should shed more answers for detectives assigned to the investigation.

Also on the scene were twenty-five police recruits and three canine units. Members of the North Babylon, Babylon, and Islip Fire Departments brought tower ladders to the search site in order to give investigators a more advantageous view of the area. Once again, westbound lanes between the Captree Bridge Causeway to the Nassau County line will be closed. Eastbound lanes will remain open, but authorities urge residents to keep in mind that the area is being considered a crime scene.

More questions have been raised following the discovery of the three new sets of remains. Police have yet to announce the gender of the remains and whether any of the three belong to missing person Shannon Gilbert. Police are also dealing with the question of whether the victims are the work of a single killer. The proximity of the remains and the use of the area as a dumping ground suggest that only one individual is responsible for the slayings.

Once the identities of the remains are determined, police will search for links among each of the victims. Commonalities between lifestyles, hometowns, and acquaintances will be analyzed to determine how they have been targeted. Friends and family members of Gilbert have questioned the thoroughness of the previous searches, wondering how police could find so many remains in such a short span of time. One report detailing the circumstance of Gilbert’s disappearance claimed she made an incoherent 911 phone call after arguing with a client on the last night she was seen.

Other concerns regarding the investigation include the issue of time. Spring foliage will bloom in the area, making the search site even more obscure for investigators. Also, the landscape of the area has cadaver dogs constantly hit in the face with heavy brush and bramble. Rainy weather could also interfere with the performance of cadaver-sniffing dogs. Some reports have estimated that at least twenty officers have suffered from poison ivy, and tick infestation is another great concern for those involved with the search.

In response to the investigation, residents have to present identification to enter the area and all other drivers are ordered to stay away. Police have deducted that the crimes most likely occurred during the middle of the night when the killer sought out an isolated location to serve as the ideal dumping ground. They say that the killer most likely pulled onto the shoulder of the westbound lane and dragged the bodies out of his vehicle less than twenty-five feet from the roadside. This poses the question of where the killer might reside.

News: Extreme Landing for Long Island Plane

(Long Island, N.Y.) A small aircraft with possible engine problems landed on the shore of Rockaway Beach in Queens. The plane had taken off from Farmingdale’s Republic Airport and ended up in shallow waters three miles south of John F. Kennedy International Airport. The incident occurred after sundown, roughly five minutes past seven last night.

Authorities are still uncertain as to where the plane was headed and how long it had been traveling. Some reports stated that the aircraft was traveling westward and was scheduled for a roundtrip back to Farmingdale. Onboard the plane was a twenty-four-year-old pilot, and a twenty-two-year-old man and twenty-one-year-old woman who were dating.

Reports stated that all of the passengers were safe and refused medical attention when emergency responders arrived at the scene. The plane was a single-engine aircraft that landed on a beach adjacent to Beach 56th Street and Shorefront Parkway. New York Police Department Aviation and Harbor Units responded to the call, along with firefighters from neighboring areas.

The plane was not damaged, though it was stated to have experienced “rough engine” issues. The pilot had allegedly contacted air traffic controllers at JFK airport and asked for permission to land because one of the passengers was violently ill. When the controller denied permission for the Piper PA-28-161 to make a landing, the pilot revealed that he had been experiencing engine problems. The controller asked the pilot if he wished to declare an emergency, but the pilot refused and asked if there were any nearby private beaches. The controller responded by saying that he didn’t have permission to land.

Reports have stated that the pilot is a medical student at Georgetown University and was taken to the police station for possible charges. Some responders on the case have questioned why the pilot chose to land on a beach when he was in such close proximity to a major airport. Other reports have stated that the couple aboard the plane was sightseeing and exploring the area, and that the young woman wanted an adventure.

The plane’s male passenger said that he was looking out of the window when he realized that the plane had gotten close to making impact. He stated that the plane made contact in the next instant, and that the nose dropped as the power cut off. Eyewitnesses in the area claimed that the plane was moving unusually fast as it was headed for the beach, and made a huge splash when it crashed forcefully onto the shore.

Another witness stated that a man got out of the aircraft immediately after it landed and was crying as he stood in front of the plane and handled the front landing gear. Allegedly, he stated to witnesses that he would never get on a plane again and was concerned for the welfare of the others onboard. Some reports stated that the pilot told police that he had permission to land, and that he was speaking casually to air traffic controllers. Such aspects of the case have authorities questioning if the emergency was genuine.

A NYPD Helicopter arrived quickly on the scene, and all three passengers were later questioned for several hours at the 101st Precinct stationhouse. The Federal Aviation Administration will take part in the investigation, and has discovered that the plane was registered to Plane Nonsense Inc. of Bear, Delaware. Another plane belonging to the company crashed into a fence at the end of a Massachusetts runway last September.

The pilot’s parents arrived early this morning and all three passengers left without speaking to the press. Some reports have declared the landing to be smooth in spite of the circumstance.

News: Recent Arrest and Sentencing on Long Island

(Long Island, N.Y.) In the early moments of Sunday morning a bouncer at a Westbury bar got in an altercation with two patrons. The bar, called “Mi Pueblito Bar,” is located on Old Country Road. The thirty-six-year-old bouncer was charged with assault and possession of a dangerous weapon.

The bouncer allegedly ran into trouble when two thirty-year-old patrons had to be removed from the bar. Outside, the altercation escalated and turned into a physical fight. The bouncer was armed with a metal baton, which he used to inflict damage on the patrons.

One of the men received nine stitches to the head in the wake of the incident and the other received ten. Both were rushed to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow. The bouncer was arraigned yesterday at the First District Court in Hempstead; bail was set at $1,500 cash and $3,000 bond.

In other news, the man convicted of killing Long Island motivational speaker Jeffrey Locker was sentenced today to twenty years to life in prison. The main issue in the Locker trial was whether the defendant should have been charged with murder or assisted suicide. Locker allegedly hired the thirty-eight-year-old defendant to kill him so that his family could collect a hefty life insurance policy and cover his extensive debts.

The defendant had admitted to the stabbing of Locker in 2009, but claimed that he held the knife in place in the speaker’s vehicle as Locker repeatedly plunged into it. He claims that the twenty year sentence was excessive and racially biased. Locker, a Valley Stream native, was a white-collar Caucasian and the defendant, African American, was allegedly unemployed during the time that Locker recruited him for the crime. The defendant also claimed that racial bias had kept the case from being settled years ago.

The lawyer of the defendant claims that he has every intention of making an appeal. Though he tried to portray his client as an Angel of Mercy, the prosecution prevailed at associating him with the Grim Reaper. The defendant pleaded for a fifteen year sentence, claiming to want to reach home before becoming a senior citizen. Fifteen years is what he would have received had the prosecution agreed to a plea of manslaughter.

Grounds for an appeal might include the defense lawyer’s claim that the judge accidentally instructed the jury incorrectly. He claims that the judge told the jury that the assisted suicide defense could only be used in instances of a defendant’s passive participation in the crime, and that active participation would fall under the category of murder. This, according to the defendant’s lawyer, does not appear under any statute, making the assisted suicide defense a plausible one.

The prosecutor assigned to the trial illustrated a different side to the case by claiming that no suicide-by-proxy could apply to the defendants’ actions. He claimed that because Locker was determined to have been stabbed up to seven times in the chest, it was impossible to consider the action anything but murder. The prosecution also deemed it implausible that Locker stabbed himself and was the direct cause of his own death. Nonetheless, reports stated that a coroner witness for the defense testified that it was possible for the defendant to have held the knife in place while Locker plunged into it.

News: Murder Trial for LI Multi-Millionaire

(Long Island, N.Y.) The murder trial for a forty-two-year-old Dix Hills man and co-owner of the Synergy Fitness chain was scheduled to begin this week. The multi-millionaire was arrested from his Dix Hills mansion in September of 2008 for three separate incidents of murder. The trial was initially delayed due to the dismissal of multiple jurors.

The crimes date back to June 23rd, 1994 when he was suspected of orchestrating the robbery of an armored car. Along with at least two other co-conspirators, he allegedly held up a check-cashing van in Muttontown for $100,000. The forty-seven-year-old armored guard was shot and killed, and is survived by his now sixty-three-year-old widow from Lindenhurst.

Though he wasn’t deemed to be the man to pull the trigger in the heist, the man who did was allegedly associated with a notable crime family. Following the crime, the shooter bragged about the armored car stickup in addition to a separate crime involving the break-in of Filene’s Basement in Manhasset. After getting arrested for racketeering offenses in New Jersey, the gunman was shot and killed on August 12th 1994.

Police believed that the Dix Hills millionaire was behind the killing and had attempted a cover-up. Authorities have stated that in addition to co-owing the chain of gyms on Long Island and New York City, the man lead a life of burglary and car theft. The gunman’s body was dumped in a plastic tool trunk/crate and found thirty miles off Fire Island by US Coast Guard officials four days after the murder.

A second co-conspirator of the 1994 robbery was the brother-in-law of the front man to a 1980s popular heavy metal band called Twisted Sister. His sister was a costume designer, and he worked in Queens in construction. He was killed August 13th, 2003 by a bullet between the eyes on his way to work. Authorities believe this was the second act of murder belonging to the cover-up attempt.

Supporting this theory is the alleged DNA evidence linking the gym co-owner to the original robbery. At the time of the incident, at least one eyewitness claimed to have spotted the robbers fleeing in a red Blazer getaway car with Florida license plates. Police recovered the vehicle nearby, which had been scrubbed clean, and proceeded to have it stripped for evidence.

In July of 2000 FBI officials on the case got a court order to compare the DNA from the hair strands recovered from the vehicle to that of the Dix Hills millionaire. The match proved similarities between the samples, but was deemed inconclusive. Nonetheless, authorities say that the results were enough to worry their suspect and caused him to talk about the previous murders with the second co-conspirator. The co-conspirator is believed to have made an audio recording in 2000 of a conversation discussing the millionaire’s guilt in the scandal prior to his wrongful death.

FBI officials claim that the cover-up attempts only aided their arrest. Instead of getting away with the original crime, the suspect will now face greater charges. Authorities assigned to this case claim that the cover-up murders did nothing but give him a fresh trail.

The former gym co-owner pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in the US District Court in Central Islip. He was held without bail and was scheduled for a second court appearance a few months following his arrest in 2008. According to some reports, his trial was originally supposed to begin on March 22nd of this year.

News: Update for Gilgo Beach Victims

(Long Island, N.Y.) The search for missing person Shannon Gilbert has continued as of seven this morning. Last week, police involved with the investigation discovered a fifth set of remains about a mile from the area where four female remains were discovered last December. Since last week’s finding, authorities have determined that the remains are human, and that they don’t belong to Gilbert.

Today’s search will span for twelve hours and shut down areas of Ocean Parkway including all westbound lanes from the Nassau/Suffolk County border to Tobay Beach. The area at Captree Bridge will also be shut down, and police have suggested that residents wishing to visit Jones Beach from those areas should search for alternate routes. Today’s endeavor includes a full-scale investigation involving cadaver-sniffing dogs and a vigorous search for evidence. Police will start at Oak Beach and move west to the county line.

It has not been determined if last week’s remains are linked to the four women who have been identified as victims of a serial killer. Many questions remain including the gender of the remains and the duration of time they had been buried. It is unknown whether the fifth set of remains was also found wrapped in a burlap sack like the others.

The fifth body was found on March 29th west of Cedar Beach and a mile east of Gilgo. Reports claim that a police officer from the Marine Bureau discovered the remains while he was scanning the dunes from his vehicle. He had been driving slowly along Ocean Parkway at the time of the discovery. Both the Homicide Canine Marine Bureau and the Aviation Bureau have been involved in the search.

Since then, the remains have been taken to the County Medical Examiner’s office in Hauppauge. Members of the Homicide Squad from the Suffolk County Crime Lab, County Police I.D. Section, and Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner have all been helpful in identifying the remains. Police expect more information leading to identification in the near future.

On March 31st authorities determined that last week’s remains did not belong to Gilbert, the twenty-four-year-old Jersey City woman that has been missing since May 1st of last year. All of the bodies were found after police had been looking for Gilbert; the first was discovered on December 11th, 2010. The original discovery was made three miles west of the Robert Moses Bridge at a quarter to three in the afternoon.

About two days after the first set of remains was discovered three more were spotted within five-hundred feet of each other. Some reports stated that they all belonged to petite Caucasian women and were buried equidistant from each other. Two days after authorities discovered the second set of findings, the FBI offered its forensic services to assist investigators with the case.

As part of the investigation into Gilbert’s case, a resident of a gated seaside commune in the area told police that a woman came to his door at about a quarter to five in the morning at the time of her disappearance. According to reports, he claimed that she fled before he could access police, and that a man in an SUV drove by looking for her shortly after. Neither was seen again, and some reports stated that police had seized a white SUV from an Oak Beach residence as a part of their initial investigation.

The resident claimed that the woman appeared ‘disoriented’ and was pleading for help. The person who supplied Gilbert with transportation to the area said he waited for her for an hour before leaving. According to reports, the client she was scheduled to visit was questioned several times by police before he was released without charges and ruled out as a suspect. His car and home had also been searched by authorities.

News: Long Island Safety Tips

(Long Island, N.Y.) Since the disaster in Japan has led Long Islanders to consider their own preparedness in the face of Mother Nature, many are evaluating individual safety plans. Long Islanders have always been under threats of flooding and erosion due to the proximity to a major body of water. Should a terrible disaster ever reach the Long Island shores, it’s important for residents to keep on the side of caution.

One important tip for Long Island residents is to continually monitor local media reports and heed instructions from government officials. Research shows that residents who keep attuned to updates in storm changes and weather patterns are able to make more informed decisions when it comes to their safety. Experts say that being proactive is the best defense against natural disasters.

It’s recommend that every Long Island residence should have at least one kit equipped with essential supplies for a minimum of three days. Some items that should be included in the kit are containers with bottled water, flashlights, can-openers, paper plates/utensils, and a radio. Non perishable food such as dry milk, boxed drinks, peanut butter, canned meats/tuna, beans, bread/crackers, cereal, and dried fruit should also be included.

In addition to a supplies kit, it is also recommended that every home have a first aid kit and a bag with hygiene supplies and a change of clothes. Blankets and pillows can go a long way, and a spare stash of important documents can also be useful during an emergency situation. It may be essential to keep handy credit cards, IDs, heath insurance cards, and cash in the face of a natural disaster.

In the case of an evacuation, it’s recommended that Long Island residents plan exit routes in advance and avoid taking the shortcut roadways. Roads are often blocked during an emergency, making it useful to plan a refuge destination. Out-of-town emergency contacts should be alerted and kept accessible at all times. For children, it may be helpful to draw maps of the house and assign a meeting place for the whole family in the event of a disaster.

For the protection of homes, a good investment could be on storm shutters, window-securing devices, and plywood for makeshift protection. Attaching plywood to windows and roofs in the anticipation of damage could help to keep your home safe from a storm. It’s also important to trim all trees and bushes in the area of the home and stow away all lawn furniture to prevent further damage.

In preparing a possible getaway vehicle in the event of an emergency evacuation, keep keys handy and fill the gas tank. Try to limit the amount of cars to one per family in order to avoid the congestion of roadways. It may be useful to have battery-operated lanterns and fire extinguishers stocked in cars as well as the home.

For Long Island homeowners who have purchased flood insurance, it may be helpful to take pictures of your home before and after the storm hits in a way to document the damage. In the case of flooding, make sure that all electrical units are unplugged before leaving the house. If evacuating, keep in mind that most public shelters won’t allow pets, and never return to your home until authorities declare it’s safe to do so.

If you’re forced to stay at home during an emergency situation, it’s important to avoid windows and keep to higher grounds, especially so in the case of floods. Last year’s Nor’easter left 250,000 Long Island residents without power. Since then, over $7 million has been put into improving Long Island emergency response systems.

News: Recent Tragedies on Long Island

(Long Island, N.Y.) A fire ravaged a four-story building in Brooklyn on Monday killing three residents. Among the deceased were a fourteen-year-old and a three-year-old girl. A sixty-two-year-old man was also killed in the blaze that broke out in the building’s top floor.

The incident occurred in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn near Putnam Avenue. Police estimate that the flames ignited at roughly five-thirty that night, causing at least sixty firefighters to respond to the call. The fire was brought under control and flames were extinguished within an hour.

In addition to the fatalities, two firefighters were stabilized after suffering from smoke inhalation. A forty-seven-year-old man was brought to a local hospital in critical condition, and at least three others were injured from the blaze.

Though it hasn’t been determined what caused the fire, police say that the origins of the fire are suspicious because it didn’t begin near a fire source. Authorities believe that the fire started in the building’s stairwell and some reports claimed that it may have even been started by young children in the building who were known to play there.

In a separate story, a fifty-nine-year-old motorcyclist from Farmingdale was killed after he crashed into a car in Hicksville. The man was riding on a 2010 Harley Davidson and traveling east on Duffy Avenue at roughly a quarter past three on Tuesday afternoon. The man was rushed by ambulance to the Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, but was pronounced dead roughly forty minutes later.

In a different incident, a forty-four-year-old recycling plant worker from Westbury was crushed into heavy machinery while on the job. The type of equipment he was operating was called a debris sorting conveyor belt, and he was an employee at the Emjay Environmental Recycling building in Brentwood. The man was trapped inside the machine and stuck within the belt after his arm got lodged while operating the system.

The man’s coworkers alerted police at roughly four-thirty on Tuesday afternoon and emergency responders arrived shortly after. They told authorities that the man was last seen alive roughly three and a half hours earlier. He was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel who first responded.

The Town of Islip Fire Marshall’s Office will be handling the investigation into this work-related fatality. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration will also be looking into details concerning the case. According to statistics obtained by a national workplace census from 2009, at least 4,340 fatal injuries are reported in the United States each year. That number has decreased significantly from the 5,214 work-related fatalities reported in 2008.

A factor involved in the decrease of the total annual fatal work injuries is the economy. The total hours worked in the United States fell by at least six percent in 2009. Experts estimated that an even sharper decrease was experienced in the construction-related fields. In the private construction sector, hours worked yearly fell at least sixteen percent.

Similar statistics estimate that transportation-related incidents accounted for at least two-fifths of all fatal work injuries in 2009. Occupational fields that saw an increase in work-related injuries were classified under buildings/ground cleaning and maintenance.