BLOOMSBURG -- State leaders say time is on their side as Pennsylvania prepares to take a hit from Hurricane Sandy. As the governor of Pennsylvania and other state emergency management leaders toured a factory in Bloomsburg, a great deal of work is getting done behind the scenes to prepare.
"You can`t react too soon and if there`s a good thing about a hurricane it`s that it gives you some notice. The problem that we`re having right now is we don`t know the track," said PEMA Director Glenn Cannon.
The state has plenty of practice after responding to disasters like Hurricanes Lee and Irene just last year.
PEMA Director Glenn Cannon says all of the state agencies are on notice, federal disaster coordinators are on their way to Harrisburg's Emergency Operations Center, and the National Guard is on standby.
"We`ve got 10,000 troops in Pennsylvania that we can deploy for this event and over 2000 vehicles and our motto is that we lean forward all of the time. If you wait until bad things happen and then try to get ready you`ve lost already," said Cannon.
And as officials prepare for the possibility of rising flood waters and power outages throughout the state, they say there are things families can do at home to make sure they`re ready as well.
"We ask people to have enough supplies at home, that if the power goes out, can you survive for three days," said Cannon.
But as the storm arrives, Governor Corbett says people should use common sense and stay inside if conditions continue to worsen.
"Stay at home, don`t get out on the roads if the storm`s real bad. Stay away from low water crossing areas. This is all natural advice that you should take," said Gov. Corbett.
This forecast is making many people who have weathered last year's storms nervous. But it's something they say they'll be ready for.
"Will we get through it, yes, is it going to have a tremendous impact on people, yes," said Columbia County Commissioner Chris Young.