Hurricane Earl forces boaters, safety officials into storm prep

LYNN – Boat owners along the North Shore are hauling their vessels from the water as public safety agencies and utility companies take stock in preparation for the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Earl.Earl was a Category 3 hurricane when it slammed several Caribbean islands earlier this week before heading north, parallel to the U.S. coastline. Weather forecasters say it could move inland and wreak havoc from North Carolina to Maine today and Friday. Sustained wind speeds were clocked at 125 mph.High winds, heavy rains and powerful storm surges were identified as the most probable conditions to cause property damage and threaten life.Lynn Fire Capt. Robert Bourke, the city’s emergency management director, said officials are reviewing plans “just in case we have to implement them” but hoping that the storm will only deal a “glancing blow” to the North Shore.”People keep calling and asking where is the nearest shelter, but we won’t know that until the event gets closer,” said Bourke, noting that the city has contracts with the American Red Cross to establish up to three emergency shelters – Lynn English High School, Classical High School and Lynn Technical & Vocational Institute.”Before we open a shelter, we have to see what the storm is doing in that section of the city. It also depends on need. If only 10 people in the city of Lynn need shelter, we would send them to a regional facility in one of the neighboring communities.”The local high schools have cots, blankets and marginal supplies but little food stockpiled since it is early in the academic year. The Fire Department, which puts various ladder trucks and engines out of service on a daily basis due to budgetary constraints, will have all apparatus operational and fully staffed during the emergency, said Bourke, who urges residents to visit the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Web site for advice on how to prepare for a hurricane.By Wednesday afternoon, Earl was 700 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras. It was on track to near the North Carolina shore late today or early Friday and then blow north. The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning for much of the North Carolina coast and hurricane watches from Virginia to Delaware.Not since Hurricane Bob in 1991 has such a powerful storm had such a large swath of the East Coast in its sights, said Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the National Hurricane Center.”A slight shift of that track to the west is going to impact a great deal of real estate with potential hurricane-force winds,” Feltgen said, noting that even if Earl stays offshore, it will kick up rough surf and dangerous rip currents through the Labor Day weekend.Some North Shore home and business owners are taking precautions by boarding or shuttering windows to prevent damage from wind-blown debris, securing yard furniture and garden planters, trimming weak tree branches and caulking vents and outdoor electrical outlets.Business owners were advised to maintain supplies of needed items and to identify an alternative operations site should the storm damage the current business location. Vital electronic data and information stored on computer hard drives should be backed up in case network access becomes unavailable, according to Julie Rochman, president of the Institute for Business & Home Safety.National Grid executives in southeastern Massachusetts are monitoring weather forecasts and studying computer projections while offering storm tips to its customers.”Based on the forecasts we’ve seen so far, we have begun to hold daily calls for updates and planning,” Chris Root, National Grid senior vice president of operations, said Wednesday. “This will allow us to get an early start if we have customers out of service while avoiding the hazards of having to move large numbers of people in what might be treacherous conditions.”The utility advises customers to keep working flashlights and extra batteries on hand, as well as a battery-operated radio. The