Elsa Barrels Toward Long Island With Tropical Storm Warning

FREEPORT, NY — Tropical Storm Elsa is working its way up the coast with its sights on Long Island.

All of Long Island with the exception of northern Nassau is under tropical storm warning. The forecast is calling for sustained wind of 15-25 miles per hour and gusts up to 30 mph. However, winds could reach up to 57 miles per hour at times starting late tonight, the National Weather Service said.

Long Islanders, especially those in storm-prone communities, are urged to heed the alerts and make preparations.

"It's really our low lying south shore areas with storm surge [and] with wind," Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said.

The risk for flooding with high tides on Friday morning creates additional concern.

"That's why it's so important we make sure our drainage is smooth [and] there's nothing blocking the entrance to the drainage," she said.

Strong wind could topple branches and power lines, potentially leaving residents and businesses without electricity. But, given the criticism for how slow PSEGLI was in getting people back on line after last year's tropical storm, Curran said the utility is adding approximately 1,000 out-of-state workers to handle the storm response.

"Let's see how it goes. Let's give them a chance," Curran said. "They are very aware that they have to respond well for this storm."

To report an outage or downed lines, PSEGLI's 24-hour hotline is: 1-800-490-0075.