(NECN: Alysha Palumbo - Narragansett, RI) - The constant hum of the drill can be heard throughout Narragansett, Rhode Island as ocean front homeowners get ready to take on Hurricane Irene.
Some even piled their porch furniture inside, while others put up the plywood that may be the only shield between their homes and a furiously churning mother nature.
Bob Prevost of Avon, Conn., who's boarding up his Narragansett home, said, “The main reason you put up plywood is not because of the wind, it’s because of stuff that gets flown around, if people leave things in their yard, so you get flying objects, you get shingles coming off roofs.”
With dozens of windows on this home just steps from the water, this homeowner gave up trying and I believe she means she’s calling all *angels*
Not knowing where Irene might make landfall means preparing for the worst, while hoping for the best.
Narragansett's Emergency Management Director and Fire Chief James Cotter said, “The size of this hurricane, we haven’t seen this in years, so we just hope that people are really paying attention to everything and not taking it lightly.”
Narragansett officials ordered a mandatory evacuation in all low lying coastal areas by 10 am Sunday.
They’ll be blocking off some of the most vulnerable roads as the storms approaches.
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Chief Nolan said, “We can only hope people pay attention and hopefully that they don’t put us in harms way by doing something stupid where we have to go out and make an attempt to rescue.”
Some are heeding that warning and getting out while they can.
Daniel Errickson, who's vacationing from Hartford, Conn., said, “Leaving tomorrow morning, we’ll see how the traffic is, hopefully that’s not too bad getting out of here.”
Others relishing the rare white caps this storm is bringing, may try to stick it out and enjoy the ride.
Rafael Attias of Wickford, RI said, “Beautiful waves, end of summer and the waves are picking up, they’re not big yet but we all know they’re going to be big.”
Here is a map of Narragansett, and areas in the green are the low lying areas that are being evacuated.
For more safety information, click here.
