Flashlight, batteries, nonperishables: On Cape Cod, how to prepare for possible hurricane

Denise Coffey, Cape Cod Times
·3 min read

The Cape’s most famous son once said: “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” That famous quote from President John Kennedy's 1962 address to Congress applies to all of us as Hurricane Lee makes it way north in the Atlantic. While we still don’t know what the impact will be from the storm, there are storm preparations that can be done now.

Have cash on hand, a stock of non-perishable food, water and medicine for three days, flashlights and batteries, an emergency evacuation plan, and a list of emergency contacts,

Andrew Watts of the Dennis Department of Public Works helps to position front-end loader driver Tom Ice into place to pick up one of the lifeguard chairs on Mayflower Beach on Wednesday morning in Dennis. The public works crew was out picking up lifeguard chairs on the town's Cape Cod Bay beaches in anticipation of the possible arrival of Hurricane Lee, which is expected to pass by Cape Cod on Friday and Saturday.

Keeping up to date with forecasts:

Because storm paths change frequently, it’s good to have trusted information sources at the ready. The National Weather Service office in Boston/Norton can be found at weather.gov/box, on Facebook.com/NWSBoston. Its handle on X (formerly Twitter) is @NWSBoston. The National Hurricane Center website is nhc.noaa.gov, and its Facebook page is facebook.com/NWSNHC).

For those with Android and iPhones, stay up-to-date with the latest government and emergency notices and alerts. Go to Settings > Notifications, scroll down and turn on government alerts/notifications.

Advice from Eversource:

Prepare for losing power for days. Stock up on water. For those on private wells, have buckets of water ready for flushing toilets. Keep your electronic devices charged. If power goes out, you can charge your phones by plugging into your car or using a crank-powered phone charger. After the storm is over, some public buildings allow the public to use their power to charge up. Stay away from downed power lines.

Advice for property owners:

Secure loose items in the yard or on decks and porches. Store heavy things like grills and lawnmowers if possible. Pick up anything that can fly and cause damage. Check insurance policies for coverage. Photograph items of particular significance before the storm.

Latest on Hurricane Lee on Cape Cod: 'Like a strong nor'easter': Hurricane Lee set for close approach to Cape Cod

Advice for boat owners:

Orleans Harbormaster Nate Sears said Wednesday that while the storm situation is fluid, the town is preparing for the worst. It is mobilizing to pull out town docks, remove benches and accessible beach mats. He already advised the boating community on Monday to pull their boats out of the water. If they can’t, they should make sure their moorings are in good shape, batteries are charged, and the bilge pumps are working.

“The last thing you want to do is wait to the last minute,” Sears said. “If we don’t do anything, we’ll get slammed by the storm. If we do nothing, it probably won’t happen at all.”

Significant surf is expected. Chatham Assistant Harbormaster Skip Woods urged boaters to seek safe harbor if they can’t pull their boats out of the water. Any storm refuge plans should not rely upon the availability of Chatham town moorings, he added. Boaters should make sure the mooring hawser, chain and chaffing gear are all in good working condition.

Advice from the Cape Cod National Seashore

Stay out of the water and off the beaches. Ocean-facing beaches are going to be extremely dangerous, according to Gordon Miller, the Cape Cod National Seashore’s lifeguard supervisor. He urged caution for anyone planning to visit beaches during the storm. Tide and ocean action can make walking on the beach extremely dangerous, he said.

A paddleboarder takes advantage of the rolling waves on Wednesday off Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, ahead of the expected effects along the Cape's Atlantic coastline from Hurricane Lee.
A paddleboarder takes advantage of the rolling waves on Wednesday off Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, ahead of the expected effects along the Cape's Atlantic coastline from Hurricane Lee.

Miscellaneous:

Anchor Ace Hardware Store Manager James MacNaught in South Yarmouth said Wednesday they are selling sandbags, Quick Dam flood barriers, generators and TruFuel, plastic gasoline containers, chain saws, flashlights, batteries and coolers.

"We're seeing a lot of people," MacNaught said. "There's definitely an uptick."

Denise Coffey writes about business and tourism. Contact her at dcoffey@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Don't wait until the last minute, Cape Cod harbormasters advise