Hurricane Earl Path Update: Long Island Under Tropical Storm Watch

Powerful Hurricane Earl is seen on a monitor at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010, wheeled toward the East Coast, driving the first tourists Wednesday from North Carolina vacation islands and threatening damaging winds and waves up the Atlantic seaboard over Labor Day weekend.(AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

A tropical storm watch has been issued for Long Island, and Hurricane Earl has strengthened to a Category 4 storm.

The National Hurricane Center has issued the watch from Sandy Hook, New Jersey to Woods Hole, Massachusetts, which includes Long Island and the Long Island Sound as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday. A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the area, generally within the next 48 hours. Long Island is expected to feel the effects of Earl on Friday.

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Hurricane Earl’s maximum sustained winds have risen up to 135 mph, which bumps it back up to a Category 4 hurricane. The storm is moving northwest at 17 mph.

Officials are already planning for the storm, and whatever scenario it may bring. According to Chief Operating Officer Mike Herby, the Long Island Power Authority has brought in 1,600 extra line workers from out of state, and has an additional 2,000 LIPA workers prepared to help with logistics and provide customer support.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy has set up an emergency notification system with e-mail and text messaging capability that will deliver alerts directly to homes and businesses. A spokesperson for Levy said that he will re-examine the need for possible evacuations on Thursday.

The American Red Cross is also prepared to open as many as 50 shelters that would be able to house up to 60,000 Long Islanders if the worst case scenario were to strike. “We don’t know exactly which way he will turn, hopefully he’ll stay away, but hope does not replace preparedness,” Red Cross spokesman Sam Kille said.