That is how Mainers ought to put together for Hurricane Lee
Hurricane Lee is predicted to deliver excessive winds, heavy rain and ensuing energy outages to Maine beginning Saturday.
Our media companions at CBS Information 13 anticipate the Down East area to be hit hardest, however the results of the storm shall be wider. It signifies that Mainers ought to begin making ready, and right here’s what it is advisable to know.
Winds are the most important risk.
Hurricane Lee stands out as the first main hurricane to hit Maine since Bob in 1991. However when in search of a reference level on related storms, forecaster Mike Haggett of Pine Tree Climate mentioned Lee is prone to be much like Tropical Storm Arthur that hit Maine in 2014.
It battered the Down East area, leaving about 35,000 Mainers with out energy. The storm additionally downed timber that blocked roads.
The storm will doubtless dump a variety of rain, which may result in flash flooding as a result of the soils are already saturated with rain from the summer season. That will make timber and branches weaker and extra inclined to winds that can knock them down and trigger outages.
Focus much less on the place precisely the storm hits.
Spaghetti plots and cone diagrams don’t inform the entire story, Haggett pressured. The hurricane will doubtless be a lot wider because it hits the Gulf of Maine or makes landfall. Main harm may happen outdoors the areas you see within the forecasts.
“Individuals give attention to the spaghetti plots and deal with storms like a twister,” Haggett mentioned. “However storms increase.”
Haggett additionally famous that the scientific categorization of the storm will not be as essential because the affect of the storm. No matter whether or not a tropical cyclone is a class 4 hurricane or only a tropical storm, the damages can differ primarily based on the qualities of the storm.
Lee is prone to deliver many of the rainfall within the north and east of the state, however that every one will depend on the monitor the storm takes, Haggett mentioned.
Right here’s what it is advisable to put together.
The Maine Emergency Administration Company has a preparedness information that means having three-day provides of nonperishable meals that don’t require cooking and potable water, plus a conveyable radio with additional batteries, a flashlight, a primary help package, money, meals and water for pets and infants and additional blankets to remain heat if the facility goes out.
It’s additionally essential to lift electronics off of the bottom and to maintain paperwork in a water-resistant lockbox in case of flooding, and ensure your automobile has a full tank of gasoline.
Getting ready for energy outages, ensuring boats are safe and staying protected from excessive winds and waves ought to be on the prime of each Mainer’s checklist for the following a number of days, officers mentioned.
“The monitor of Lee continues to be unknown, however we would like of us to concentrate to this storm via the weekend,” mentioned Peter Rogers, director of Maine Emergency Administration Company. “We wish everybody to remain protected and please verify in in your neighbors.”
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Further help for this reporting is offered by BDN readers.
