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Politics & Government

Village Not Expecting Sandy-Related Problems

The Department of Public Works is not expecting anything out of the ordinary along Lake Michigan despite Tuesday's predicted high winds.

Despite Whitefish Bay's position along Lake Michigan, village officials expect the village to be spared any direct ramifications from Hurricane Sandy, which was rampaging across the East Coast on Monday.

"Whitefish Bay is not making any extraordinary preparations for the wind/Hurricane as it relates to Lake Michigan," said Daniel Naze, public works director and village engineer for Whitefish Bay. "Most frontage is private, and the lake is at historic low levels, which should be helpful."

  • Related: Patch sites on Long Island are running a live blog of local coverage, resuming about 7:30 a.m. CST Tuesday.

Naze said the village was anticipating wind speeds of 35 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, which is not an uncommon wind speed in the village.

Find out what's happening in Whitefish Baywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We aren't doing anything extra," he said. Furthermore, officials heard that the strongest winds were not heading in a direction most likely to affect Whitefish Bay. As of Monday afternoon, Lake Michigan was not particularly unruly from Whitefish Bay vantage points, as just a few small waves could be seen from the shore.

Residents fear for friends, family

The bigger effect of the hurricane on Whitefish Bay? Raising concerns in residents with loved ones on the East Coast.

Find out what's happening in Whitefish Baywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Patrick Noble, of Whitefish Bay, grew up in Old Bridge, NJ. He wrote Patch to say that he has "a lot of family near the NJ shore (Red Bank, Rumson). They all lost power in the last hour or so, and the winds are pretty bad."

And Vinnie Murray, who works in Whitefish Bay, wrote Patch that he is originally from New York City and lived there for 35 years. "I have tons of friends in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Long Island, and my mom currently lives in Toms River NJ and my sister in East Windsor," he said. "We are very worried about everyone as no one truly realizes how catastrophic this can be."

Do you live in Whitefish Bay and know someone affected by Hurricane Sandy? If so, please contact fill-in Whitefish Bay Patch editor, Jessica McBride, at jessicamcbride05@live.com.

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