Polisena: Johnston is 'Ready to Roll'

The Town of Johnston is ready to face the effects of Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Joseph Polisena said during an interview on Saturday.

As the partly sunny conditions and seasonable temperatures at the Johnston High School Homecoming parade gave no hint of what was to come, Polisena explained that local officials "are more than ready," having brought in more generators and military-grade Humvees since Tropical Storm Irene hit the area in August, 2011.

"We've got more equipment than we did last time for the last storm — we're ready to roll," Polisena said.

Local officials are scheduled to meet this morning to discuss final preparations before the worst part of the storm system reaches the Johnston area.

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Already, Johnston Town Hall has been closed and Johnston schools have cancelled classes for today. Trash and recycling collections have been suspended.

Marian J. Mohr Library will also be closed today.

In the case of evacuations, the town has two school buses standing by to bring residents to the designated town shelters at the Johnston Senior Center, Ferri Middle School, and Johnston High School.

The town has also prepared "hundreds and hundreds" of sandbags, and filled its outdoor gas tank at the Johnston Police Department to fuel municipal vehicles, Polisena added.

 

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