Preparing for the Next Nor’easter
By Judy Walden Scarafile

Usually, by early March, we have had enough of winter and are looking forward to spring.  Any nor’easter is usually windy and wet, but not to the degree of what we are expecting Thursday through Saturday this week.

Because of the astronomical tide and a full moon, this storm will have more of a punch than most at this time of year, even if it’s not snow.

The Barnstable County Regional Emergency Preparedness Committee is already gearing up with conference calls to update all of us on the weather and plans by Eversource and MEMA.

So, coastal flooding and high winds are the big concern.

If you have any summer furniture on your deck with the warm weather the last few days, it would be a good idea to bring it inside. Bird feeders, too, can become missiles.

But most of all, listen to the warnings. If there is a declaration asking people to stay off the roads, please listen. Don’t drive down to the beach to see the high tide spilling over the road. During the last storm in January, 18 people on Cape Cod had to be rescued, mostly because they went to the coast to watch the wild weather.

Please leave that to the experts and reporters covering the storm. Just stay inside and watch the weather on the TV news.

As always, let’s be prepared and mindful that when it comes to natural crises, it’s a matter of when and not if.

Be safe.

JWS