From North Carolina to Canada, people along the East Coast are bracing for the effects of Hurricane Isabel, which is now labeled a Category 4 storm.
The National Weather Service expects the powerful storm to strike somewhere between North Carolina and the Delmarva Peninsula on Thursday. Squalls and gale force wind gusts can be expected in Massachusetts by Friday.
"If I were a mariner and I had to be doing my work, I'd be getting it complete by Wednesday night," said Walter Drag of the National Weather Service. "I wouldn't want to be dealing with the swells out there."
As of yesterday evening, Isabel was packing winds of 140 mph. The five-day track of the storm by the National Hurricane Center forecasts Isabel moving onshore Thursday morning with 130 mph winds near Cape Hatteras, N.C., and then moving north along the Chesapeake Bay, near Washington, D.C., through Virginia, Md. and Pennsylvania. People have already begun evacuating coastal communities around North Carolina and Virginia as precautionary measures.
"Right now, the forecast is very uncertain. It looks like it's going to hit somewhere in the Outter Banks area," said Ken Haydu, a meteorologist for the hurricane center.
Haydu says that several factors could change the direction of the storm, including high-pressure ridges north and east of the storm, which could push it west or east.
"Forecasters expect the storm to make landfall, however the exact pinpoint is difficult to tell at this time," Haydu said.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is now on alert, and is offering personal preparedness tips for residents of the Commonwealth before the storm is expected to sideswipe New England.
"Every family should have a basic supply kit that could be used for any emergency," said MEMA Director Stephen J. McGrail. "We should keep certain items around the house in the event of a hurricane or other severe weather. A portable radio, flashlight, extra batteries and extra food and water are all essential to help [people] weather the storm."
MEMA advises that every household should have a supply of canned goods and other non-perishable foods that do not require cooking, along with bottled water, extra prescription medication and extra food and water. The complete MEMA hurricane supply list is available on their website at www.mass.gov/mema.
"You should also call your local authorities to find out where emergency shelters are located in your community," McGrail said. "It is important to know where your local shelter or evacuation routes are before any emergency situation occurs."
MEMA is remaining on alert, however public officials are not telling residents to take special precautions. Isabel is expected to hit the area of the Carolinas, but coastal residents of Massachusetts are preparing because even a glancing blow from a hurricane as forceful as Isabel can cause some destruction for marinas that are a distance from the storm.
Nonetheless, harbormasters up and down the coast are encouraging people to get their boats out of the water or to double-check their moorings and remove anything that is not securely fastened to their boats.
