HYANNIS – State officials are issuing some advice on to best prepare for possible storms coming to the region as hurricane season gets underway this month.
Chris Besse, Public Information Officer with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said Cape Cod usually sees the storms later in the season.
“Historically those large storms and hurricanes that we have seen have been later in the summer in the August, September time-period, usually because the ocean water has warmed up again by then during the year and really provides fuel for those storms,” Besse said.
Besse said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has put out their seasonal forecast which expects an active hurricane season, although it’s unclear where those storms will occur.
The agency is preparing as if a storm could hit New England. As possible storms get closer, Besse said weather agencies will track the systems and state authorities will brief the public on potential impacts like heavy rains, coastal flooding, and strong winds.
“If people do see they’re in a zone, it’s really asking them to think about the fact that they may need to leave. It doesn’t mean they need to yet, but just being prepared and really taking those extra steps to leave if a storm threatens,” Besse said.
Tips for hurricane-preparedness from Besse included getting ready for the scenario of power outages caused by storms.
He advised people to make sure they have enough food, water, batteries, and medicine beforehand should the situation arise.
The MEMA official said people can register with their town’s reverse 911 system to get local alerts and to make sure that their cell phones are set up to receive wireless emergency alerts.
Another tip Besse gave was to utilize the state’s 211 hotline during emergency storms to find out important information.
Listen to the Sunday Journal interview with Chris Besse here.
By Brian Engles, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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