HURRICANE SEASON 2020
by
Dick Alley
Big weather news breaking on Thursday, focused on Hurricane Iasias, possibly tracking up the east coast and reaching our general area by midweek. Hopefully the most serious aspect of this storm will be learning how to properly pronounce its' name. Unfortunately, each update seems to raise the possibility of some rough weather ahead. Twenty-seven years of dealing with these storms as an emergency responder tells me that the possibility is worth some words in my blog.
Storm prep is important. It ranges from shopping early for food supplies and stocking up with enough food for a few days to extra flashlights and batteries in working order. Past storms have caused power outages of a week and more. Whether we get a minimum hurricane or a tropical storm, there could be extended power outages. Keeping your cell phones, Kindles, Nooks and laptops fully charged in advance of the storm is crucial. They can provide communication and entertainment.
BOAT OWNERS need to be well aware of just where and how the storm is tracking. I owned a bunch of small fishing boats and docked them at either Compo or Longshore over the years. I learned my lesson early on when my first small runabout filled with water and sunk at the dock at Compo. It rained so hard that the charge on my battery ran out. The bilge pump stopped running. My boat went down.
Tip number one - If you can trailer your boat, the smart play is to take it out well before the storm gets here and park it in a safe spot sheltered from wind and falling trees. Bigger boats should be secured with extra docking lines even if moored in sheltered basins.
Tip number two - Don't wait until the wind is blowing a gale to make necessary preparations. Flood tides will close roads to and from beach areas. Marina's will be closed hours prior to the storm's arrival. When the water rises, it's too late tp make it to Compo Beach or Longshore, Cedar Point or Saugatuck Harbor.
Boats moored out in "the hole"midway between Longshore and Saugatuck Shores will likely end up on Harbor Road if a hurricane hits. Past storms have even found them tangled in electrical wires from downed utility poles.
Having worked as a patrolman, a desk officer and a supervisor during a number of storms over the years, I can verify that things get very busy at the cop shop. Phones ring off the hook. Trees fall on houses. Transformers blow up. Tree branches big and small break off and fly in the wind. Even a small tree branch a foot or two in length propelled by a strong wind can cause a serious injury.
During one storm, a large group of young folks decided that the hurricane was a great time for body surfing at Compo. Of course it was our job to chase them back to safety. I think the only actual injury was when I was dinged side of the head by a small branch blowing in the wind, but none of us were too happy (except for the kids).
Beach areas where tidal flooding occurs are especially dangerous. If you are asked to evacuate, please do so. Beach areas like Compo and Saugatuck Shores may not be reachable by emergency vehicles when the storm is raging. While body surfing, kite surfing and jumping in and out of a heavy surf sounds like fun it puts those folks who might have to rescue you in even more danger and for them it is not fun.
Sometimes beach areas have to be evacuated. Inevitably, some folks resist. One such incident occurred many years ago on my watch. I was shift supervisor and weather people were predicting a direct hit on our area and the word went out to evacuate.
One of the best cops I ever worked with, the late Wayne Dolinski radioed that he needed a supervisor at a Soundview Drive residence. I responded and found that the Town ambulance and Westport EMS were all there pleading with a lady in her 90's to evacuate her beach home. She was disabled and had a live-in caregiver who took her job seriously and also would not leave without her charge. We must have reasoned with the lady for a half hour, with the wind getting stronger by the minute. I asked her again, telling her that we would bring her back right after the storm was over. She was adamant. It was time for some tough love.
"Do you have any relatives", I asked. "Only my daughter", she replied. "She lives in the city". "Can I have her telephone number", I asked?
"What do you want that for", she questioned. "Well, I replied," It appears you are not willing to leave. If you don't leave, you are probably going to die. If you die, she will have to be notified and I will need her number to make the notification."
It worked. She gave me the number. I was able to get through to the daughter who had no idea a hurricane was about to hit Westport. Thankfully, the daughter was able to talk Mom into taking an ambulance ride to the evacuation center and five minutes later, she was on her way.
Latest bulletins as of Saturday afternoon have the storm arriving here on Tuesday evening. It has a long way to travel but one never really knows how bad these storms can be until they hit.
I wasn't really aware of my first hurricane. It was the biggest ever to hit New England in 1938. I was three years old. I remember my Dad telling the story about how Gramps wanted him to go out and close the garage door, but not soon enough. Before he could get the door to the house open, the garage door was torn from its hinges. We found it in Percy Baker's yard a hundred yards down the hill the next day. While I don't remember the storm personally, Mom and Dad too some pictures which I will attach. Keep in mind that the damages in these photo's occurred in Rockville, CT some 20 miles east of Hartford, a long toss from the coast.
Gramp's family had a summer cottage. The debris is of houses totally destroyed by the storm.
Normally a small stream of water flows through this tunnel under the Mill in Rockville. This torrent was in the aftermath of the storm.
The latest reports have Tuesday's storm under hurricane strength, but stay tuned to the weather in case things change.
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