The town of Scituate, Massachusetts, is expecting more than just winter weather. In fact, the town’s forecast verges on the apocalyptic.
The seaside town of about 18,000, less than 30 miles southeast of Boston, is expecting a blizzard, which could bring more than a foot of snow—and a 12-inch high tide—and a storm surge, causing flooding—and 60 mph winds—and probable power outages.
All this adds up to a very clear message: “Get ... Out!”
Scituate has asked coastal residents to voluntarily leave their homes and take up lodging in emergency shelters where they might be safer.
“The storm has shifted west closer to shore, which has upgraded the coastal flood watch to a coastal flood warning. With the 12.1’ astronomical high tide and the strong northeast winds, we should expect moderate coastal flooding with potential for pockets of major flooding along the immediate coastline. We encourage those who live in the flood-prone areas to evacuate by 10 AM as we could expect flooding as early as 11 AM,” the document continued. “Wind gusts are forecast to be in excess of 60MPH, which will likely bring trees and limbs down causing moderate power outages. Please prepare for the potential of power outages lasting several days.”
This isn’t just alarmism.
After the snow passes, temperatures are predicted to plunge into the single digits, increasing the misery of people without power, or trapped in flooded homes—and increasing the difficulty for rescue crews.
Even in such trying times, the town government has not lost its heart.
Its storm advisory ends, “The Scituate Animal Shelter is available as a resource during the Thursday storm for pet owners who may be in need of emergency boarding, food, crates, leashes, collars etc.”
Not the First Time
Scituate residents know what to expect—because their town has been slammed by storms in the past.The water did more than flood homes, it washed out some roads.
During that storm, the town’s fire chief ordered the National Power Grid to shut off services to some parts of the town—a self-imposed blackout—because the fire department feared it couldn’t reach houses surrounded by floodwaters where a short might cause an electrical fire.
Disasters caused by this storm prompted the fire department to develop its policy of shutting off power to flooded neighborhoods.
During the Dec. 26-27 blizzard of 2010, two homes burned to the ground after floodwater caused a short circuit in one home’s breaker box. The fire spread to the neighboring home.
Firemen couldn’t reach the homes because of the floodwater.
Whole Northeast Bracing for Weather Disasters
The entire Northeast is expecting to get slammed hard by what used to be called a Nor’Easter, but which some are calling a “bomb cyclone” storm. The name might sound exaggerated but the associated atmospheric conditions could be deadly.To put that barometric reading into perspective, Superstorm Sandy brought with it a low pressure of 945 millibars, making the two storms comparable in potential energy.
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