Please Prepare - Hurricane Lee
***The latest forecast shows that Hurricane Lee is still on track to impact the area this weekend - PLEASE PREPARE! We will be following our own advice and pulling the patrol boat tomorrow, and will be returning the boat to the water only when it is safe to do so. With the boat safely on the hard, we will be unable to render any assistance during the storm. If you have a true emergency, remember, as always, your first call should be to 911, but hopefully everyone properly prepares and we ride out the storm safely.***
Below is our previous message:
PLEASE pay close attention to the weather over the next few days as Hurricane Lee churns in our general direction. There is still a degree of uncertainty in the forecast, but now is the time to prepare for the worst!
There is a significant probabilty for high water, heavy rains, and high winds. Please remember that by properly preparing, you are not only protecting your own property, but you are preventing hazards from floating into the waterways and helping to prevent the trash racks, spillways, culverts and other restrictions from clogging. Recall during the flooding earlier this year that debris, including canoes and kayaks, obstructed the spillway, raising water levels and preventing a very unsafe situation for the workers that need to operate and maintain the dam.
When preparing your property, please remember the following steps - Pull, Secure, Label:
Pull - pull anything that could float or blow away well up on the shore. I recommend you pull it up as high on shore as you think you need to, then pull it up a few more feet!
Secure - after pulling items up on shore, make sure to tie down anything that could blow or float away, including canoes and kayaks, chairs, dock boxes, etc.
Label - label your items with a name and contact information. Even though I'm sure everyone will properly secure their waterfronts, JUST IN CASE we find your float or kayak out in the middle of the lake, we can get it returned ASAP :)
In addition, I would consider pulling boats out of the water if possible, double up lines, and check knots on floats, boats, or moorings.
We will do our best to keep everyone informed as Hurricane Lee approaches, but please keep an eye on the following forecast resources:
Hurricane Tracking and Forecasting from the National Hurricane Center: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Local Forecasts and Advisories from the National Weather Service's Gray/Portland Office: https://www.weather.gov/gyx/
