Southern New Englanders keep eye on Hanna

Associated Press
Published: September 5, 2008

BOSTON—Emergency managers in southern New England urged residents Friday to keep a watchful eye on Hanna, a tropical storm preparing to bear down on the mid-Atlantic then move quickly north along the coast.

Forecasters said strong wind gusts between 45 and 55 mph and 3 to 4 inches of rain would blow through the region starting late Saturday. But the region should be able to absorb most of the rain without widespread flooding, they said.

Still, precautions were being taken and preparations being made Friday as the storm neared the mid-Atlantic coast with near hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph.

In Rhode Island, residents were being urged to protect their windows, clear clogged storm drains, have extra batteries available for flashlights and stay out of the ocean during the hurricane.

J. David Smith, executive director of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency, said he wasn’t expecting major problems, in part because of low water levels in streams and rivers and because the storm was tracking farther east than initially projected.

“We really believe this is going to be a rain event, but it’s better to be more prepared,” Smith said.

David Baptista, manager of the Narragansett Inn in Block Island, said his inn was stacking and securing outdoor furniture after dinner Friday so it didn’t blow away. He said he couldn’t remember the last time there had been bad weather on the island the weekend after Labor Day.

“Traditionally, this is one of the most excellent weekends of the season, year after year,” he said.

Save the Bay moved boats and canoes to safe places away from Narragansett Bay.
Ferries between New London, Conn., and Block Island, R.I., were also canceled for both Saturday and Sunday because of the weather.

In addition, National Grid, which serves roughly 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, said it was tracking the storm and putting electric and natural gas crews on notice about the possible need to work extra hours.

Massachusetts resorts on the islands and Cape Cod were preparing to move weddings and other events indoors, should rain or wind menace the festivities.

The Jimmy Buffett concert scheduled for Saturday night at Comcast Center in Mansfield was rescheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday. The parking lot will open at 8 a.m., and the doors will open at 2 p.m.

Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell said 200 soldiers and airmen with the Connecticut National Guard are on standby to respond to troubled areas in Connecticut or other states. State environmental officials will be keeping an eye on dams and flood-prone areas.

Rell also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was relocating 30 truckloads of water and Meals Ready to Eat into Hartford and they will be ready to be deployed across the state if needed.

“Flooding conditions over roadways can create hazardous driving conditions and I want to urge special caution to people traveling on Connecticut highways during the storm,” Rell said. “Downed trees combined with water on our highways have the potential to cause very dangerous conditions.”

Many outdoor events also were put on hold or had their times pushed up to earlier in the day Saturday, before the heavy rain was expected to arrive.