The National Weather Service in Gray is predicting Lincoln County will see 30-50 mph sustained winds with gusts reaching 60-70 mph when Hurricane Irene blows through Lincoln County Sunday.
Two to three inches of rain, along with a two-foot storm surge, is also expected.
A press release from Lincoln County EMA is encouraging residents to be “prepared for power outages, heavy rain at times, and high winds.”
Around the county, emergency officials say they are ready for whatever nature brings this weekend.
“We’re preparing for the worst and hoping for the best,” said Wiscasset EMA Director Roland Abbot.
Wiscasset town officials and emergency service workers held an emergency meeting Aug. 26 to review procedures for this weekend.
The Wiscasset Community Center will be open as a shelter for those evacuating their homes. Wiscasset will be operating the shelter in conjunction with the Red Cross.
“The shelter will probably open [Saturday] night, depending on the storm,” Abbot said.
The shelter will open at 6 a.m. Sunday at the very latest, he said.
An Emergency Operating Center will be set up at the Wiscasset Public Building, either in the Police or Fire Departments. The EOC will be set up by 9 a.m. Sunday. A representative from every emergency department and the Board of Selectmen will be present. Abbot estimated the EOC would be operational for at least 24 hours, from Sunday to midmorning Monday.
For those planning on waiting the storm out in their homes, Abbot advised bringing inside all outside items and to have flashlights and a radio ready. Those who find themselves in need of a safe place can call ‘211’ to find their closest shelter. Storm updates will be broadcast on WGAN and MRN.
Lincoln County EMA asks those seeking more information to contact their local Emergency Management Director or call the Lincoln County Office of Emergency Management at 882-7559.
In Waldoboro, EMA director Kyle Santheson said Waldoboro is not currently planning to open a designated emergency shelter but will do so as the need arises. The Waldoboro fire station will be open during the day Sunday to provide assistance as necessary.
“I think we are in good shape,” Santheson said. “We have had meetings with all our department heads this morning to go over our emergency plan for police, fire and public works. We are probably going to open an emergency operations center Sunday morning to handle dispatch duties… We’ll handle some local dispatch duties, trees down, wires down, etc., etc.
“We’ll have extra personnel on duty throughout the storm. We have gone through our lists this morning and we seem to be in good shape.”
Santheson advised people to get the supplies they needed and hunker down at home to ride out the storm. “Stay in place, stay home, hunker down. Let this storm pass. Let emergency services do their job,” Santheson said.
He pointed out the State of Maine has a website, Maine Prepares, loaded with information and urged people to refer to it for guidelines and planning purposes.
“That’s all you need to know right there,” he said.
Bristol Director of Civil Emergency Preparedness and Fire Chief Paul Leeman is confident in his department’s ability to weather the storm.
“Bristol Fire and Rescue stays ready,” Leeman said.
Leeman said he might stock the stations’ kitchens in case Irene demands a prolonged stay at the station for firefighters and first responders.
His advice for civilians: stay inside and stay away from the surf.
Leeman said he’s in contact with Bristol Consolidated School Head Custodian Robert Onorato and all parties are well-prepared in the unlikely event the school becomes necessary as an emergency shelter.
The Bristol Mills swimming hole has been closed for the duration of the storm, Leeman said.
A couple miles up the Pemaquid River, Leeman’s counterpart in Damariscotta, Steve O’Bryan, said he’s communicating with the Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency (LCEMA) and Great Salt Bay Community School officials.
LCEMA and the Red Cross will coordinate the shelter, if necessary, O’Bryan said, although the latter organization generally sets up just one shelter for the county.
After the storm begins, O’Bryan will respond to requests for updates from LCEMA and assess damage as it occurs, reporting the information to LCEMA.
The storm is unlikely to impact the students of AOS 93, the Central Lincoln County School System, as class is not in session and teachers don’t return until Wed., Aug. 31.
