Even though the City of Boston is not expected to bear the brunt of this hurricane, power outages and flooding are still a concern. Both the city and major utilities like Eversource and National Grid will have their emergency operation centers online by Friday afternoon.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said they’re paying particular attention to areas along the coast that tend to receive the brunt of flooding when we get storms like this.
Neighborhoods like East Boston, Charlestown, the South End and North End will be monitored throughout the night on Friday into Saturday.
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The mayor said each of the city’s departments will have a specific area of focus to try to best handle all of the emergency situations that may develop as Hurricane Lee gets closer to our coast.
“Boston police will be responding to calls regarding downed trees and wires, the Boston Fire Department’s trucks are all equipped with flotation suits, which can be used to help residents caught in floods, EMS is ready to respond to power outages and provide support to those who rely on electronic medical devices," Wu said, "and we’re coordinating internally on where to be ready to deploy flood walls and sandbags if necessary.”
What’s working in their favor is that this storm should be out of here quickly, with decent weather to follow on Sunday.
So that should help with any cleanup and power restoration efforts that may be needed.
But utility companies have already begun strategically deploying their crews and bringing in additional manpower to prepare for potential power outages. An Eversource representative said they even brought in tree crews to help, anticipating additional concerns with leaves still on many trees and the ground saturated from recent rainstorms.
"We had some pretty severe weather earlier this week and that has us a little concerned about the trees, as the earth kind of gets saturated with water the roots of the trees have a harder time keeping those trees up in strong gusts, so we are expecting some tree damage," said Craig Hallstrom, Eversource's regional president of electric operations.
On the South Shore, folks are beginning to prepare little by little. They're trying to gauge the potential impacts of the hurricane on their homes and businesses as Lee starts to creep up our shores.
The main concern is storm surge, the flooding and sustained wind gusts expected from Lee, especially for residents living on the coast. Mariners and boaters are also being advised by the U.S. Coast Guard to stay out of the water.
"You’re at the whim of Mother Nature and you’ll lose every time if you don’t give her a little bit of respect," said Kurt Holloway, a boater who took his vessel out of the water Friday. "It can be something as little as losing an expensive cover or any gear you have on your boat or much worse. And we’ve seen boats capsize over there in less than hurricane conditions."
Over on the Cape and Islands, there are already some canceled ferry services ahead of the storm.
In the community of Brant Rock, some have already started to secure their outdoor furniture.
"If you're not preparing, that's when you're going to see some damage," Marshfield resident Steve Driscoll said. "So if you take some preparations and know what's capable of creating some damage on your property and into your neighbors', you probably want to take care of that over the next 24 hours."
Officials say coastal residents should be familiar with high risk areas in their community, create an evacuation plan and discuss it with your family, sign up for local alerts and keep an eye on weather advisories. And finally, have a first aid kit ready with food and water, flashlights and charged up cell phones with backup batteries and portable chargers.
In Rhode Island, officials were breathing a sigh of relief. Gov. Dan McKee said that, while wind and rain are expected to hit the state, and his administration is in constant contact with the federal government, the forecast had "good news."
"We are smiling when we don't have to deal with weather patterns that could potentially cause property damage and the worst case scenario of having public safety at risk," he said.
The main risk, McKee said, is for anyone who might get in the water, where strong rip currents could be dangerous. Asked if he was going to the beach, the governor said, "I may go down there for some clam cakes and chowder," adding, "stay out of the water."
