Sandy: East Hanover Shelter Open in Lurker Park

East Hanover OEM Coordinator Mark Curcio said a shelter in Lurker Park is open as of noon Monday. "We're not anticipating at this time having anyone evacuate," Curcio said. "We're basically standing by. Until the storm actually hits, we're basically in preparation mode."

If residents do have to evacuate, Curcio recommends they prepare Monday.

"Anyone in a flood-prone area should be ready to go. We may not have much time," he said. "Have your important papers, your flood insurance and other documents, in a bag and have it with you so you can grab it and go."

Curcio said residents should expect Hurricane Sandy to cause more damage than Hurricane Irene did.

"Central pressure at the eye is stronger than it should be for a Category One [hurricane.] This isn't going to be like Irene, it's going to be much worse."

Even after the rains stop, the winds could continue. Curcio said he spoke with JCP&L, who told him they will not endanger their employees before the winds settle down.

"High wind is very difficult for JCP&L to work with. Until that wind clears, they’re not going to be able to start repairs," Curcio said.

As a result, residents could be without power for days. According to the outage map on the First Energy website, there are 31 outages in East Hanover as of 2 p.m. Monday and none reported in Florham Park.

"This is going to be with us after the storm is over," Curcio said. County, state and federal governments are all in touch with local officials as Sandy prepared to make landfall in New Jersey. Any major developments will be communicated to residents through East Hanover's reverse-911 system. Curcio said the storm will begin to get more severe at about 3 or 4 p.m. Monday.

"As the storm gets closer, we'll start to get more wind and rain," he said. "People shouldn't be out. Most of the businesses are closed, schools are closed."

Residents should make sure they have food and water enough to last three days.

"That's one gallon of water per person for that 72 hours," Curcio said. "You should also have an emergency kit ready, with flashlights, batteries and medication."