Hurricane season is in full swing, and in the next 24 hours Cape Ann is going to get a taste of it, courtesy of tropical storm Hanna.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Western and Eastern Essex County. The forecast predicts possible wind gusts from 40 to 50 mph tonight into tomorrow as well as heavy rainfall that could lead to some flooding.
Since Hanna's path is still uncertain, local authorities have prepared as much as they can. The only thing left to do now, they say, is wait.
"I'm keeping my fingers crossed that maybe nothing will happen," Cindy Quinn, disaster and emergency services director for the American Red Cross of Northeast Massachusetts, said yesterday. "But one never knows. If the storm track changes we could get a bit of a heavier dose."
Gloucester fire Chief Barry McKay said he sat and watched newscasts Thursday night until the early hours of yesterday morning to track the storm. He is trained in hurricane preparedness as well as hurricane tracking.
"I've been on top of it and been watching the advisories coming out," McKay said.
Hanna was forecasted to make landfall along the South Carolina coast sometime last night or early this morning.
Quinn said the biggest concern at the moment is the possibility of coastal and localized flooding.
Fortunately, according to McKay, remnants of tropical storms and hurricanes move quickly when they are this far up the coast.
"It looks like it's going to be a fairly quick storm, and there's an advantage to that," Quinn said. Most flooding damage to homes occurs during slow-moving storms, she said.
Potential flooding was also on McKay's mind.
"I'm approaching this storm as basically being a heavy rain event," he said. However, if Hanna's track moves westward there could be higher winds with less rain, he said.
Quinn said that, although five of the local Red Cross chapter's volunteers are on the Gulf of Mexico coast to help with Hurricane Gustav relief, volunteer availability for the area will not be negatively affected. She said the American Red Cross here will not allow its chapter to send volunteers to other areas of the country affected by Hanna because of the potential dangers posed by Hanna locally.
"I'm actually in very, very good shape for what we're doing," she said.
Quinn said she has been calling the local chapter's 120 volunteers to create a list of which volunteers will be available to respond. She also said she has been contacting local fire chiefs and emergency managers. The local Red Cross chapter has also surveyed buildings that can be used as shelters to ensure they are safe.
Lt. Joseph Aiello of the Gloucester Police Department said police have worked with the fire chief and the mayor's office to create a plan of action in case shelters are needed. He said with the plan in place, they will know exactly what to do.
"We've been doing this so long, it's like second nature," he said of storm preparation.
With city-wide plans of action in place, local officials are now asking citizens to prepare accordingly as well.
Quinn advises people to prepare for power outages by having batteries, flashlights, canned food and bottled water. She advises people living with infants, the elderly, or the disabled to stock up on any special items needed. She also suggested having basic first aid supplies.
McKay said people need to tie down objects outside, such as patio furniture, in case of high winds.
Quinn said the Red Cross is prepared to open shelters if needed. If shelters are opened, ask local officials where they are located, she said.
McKay expressed how important it is to be prepared, saying it was easy to forget Hanna's threat with yesterday's sunny weather.
"We kind of forget we live in an area where we can get hurricanes," he said.
Quinn expressed her confidence in New Englanders' ability to ride out the storm.
"New Englanders tend to hold up pretty well," she said. "Sometimes we have a power outage or two, but a day later we're back out doing what we usually do."
Amanda Flitter can be reached at gt_reporter@gloucestertimes.com
