Waiting for Sandy
Sandy is now officially a Category 1 hurricane and looks as if it will be making landfall just north of Cape May, NJ. Before we lose power (possibly for days) we figured we would provide an update and send our thoughts and best wishes out to everyone that might be impacted. Particularly those of the nautical bent that may be traversing the coast on their way down south for the winter.
Here is a blog post describing land vs. sea hurricane preparations from a fellow EGYC yacht club member and his family that recently departed on a worldwide journey and are currently (and unfortunately) located near Sandy’s point of landfall in the Chesapeake Bay.
Here in New England we are a good distance away from the point of landfall, but this storm is massive and due to the upcoming and unprecedented eastward track, the coastline along NY, CT, RI & MA are almost certainly going to experience massive flooding regardless. On top of this it is a “moon” tide (higher than usual) so circumstances have conspired to produce another “perfect” storm with a potentially very large storm surge. We are hearing about coastal evacuations we have never heard ordered before. The governor of CT just announced that all state highways are to be shut down. The hurricane barriers in Providence and New Bedford are already closed.
We do not expect to be impacted by flooding here in Norton, but the situation could be different for Quantum Leap – she is out of the water in the parking lot at at the East Greenwich Yacht Club in RI.
At moon high tide under calm conditions the cove water level is only two or three feet below street level so I think street flooding is likely around the EGYC. But I’m guessing a 10′ flood minimum would be needed to float Quantum Leap off her stands. A similar October storm in 1991 (the movie “perfect Storm” was named after this event) caused street flooding and destroyed several boats and docks in East Greenwich Cove.
Here in New England we are also on the “wrong” side of the storm in regard to wind so as usual are nervous about some of the 90′ tall pines in our yard coming down on the house, or even worse, the Discovery – our winter home! We did look into moving the Discovery to a more open area (like a parking lot) but so far have decided to just wait it out. We have weathered several hurricanes and other wind storms in our 15 years here and none of the big trees in our yard were ever impacted. However the media is really trumping up the unusual potential magnitude of this storm – hopefully it will just stay potential and not become reality.
So we will report back if possible when the worst is over. The wind is just starting to pick up and the trees are beginning their dance…
Wishing you guys the best. National news showing footage from Narragansett and it’s already looking bad. In Chicago, they’re calling for 15-20′ swells on Lake Michigan and our share of wind tomorrow too. Never seen a Hurricane reach this far. Batten down the hatches and stay safe. If you need us for anything requiring lookups online or anything else please call. Stay safe and keep us posted.
Hope you are both snug as a bug in a rug!!! As I write the wind is howling and the rain is coming down hard and one can hear the rain being beaten against the house and windows. Great day to be indoors don’t you think? Believe it or not, Greg has to work, those hospitals need their supplies. Sure hope there are no low-lying areas in his travels. Took my neighbor Gil’s advice and filled the bathtub — just in case. Cindy is also snug in her home on the 2nd floor and is enjoying a relaxing day — no kids. Glad the boat is relatively safe and hope those evergreens stand tall. Linda M.
Thinking of you and praying for your safety. We know you New Englanders are hearty souls, but this may test your mettle.