While Jose will most likely never come close, take the weekend to prepare as if its coming. This will serve as a nice training exercise in preparedness. If your unsure, go to ready.gov for tons of great info and plans including what to stock up on. I am not ready to start issuing Dorothy & toto level wind warnings so lets hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
Get extra water, even from the tap (yes you can drink it, I know the kids won't believe you, especially if you told them you used to drink from the hose!!!). get canned goods and my favorite, fluffernutter! I tested my generator to be sure it had oil and it runs after the first pull. You don't want to be in the dark, in the middle of the storm, doing your crossfit training by trying to start the generator 300 times. Make sure you have fresh batteries in your flashlights and power sources to charge your cell so you can get these alerts.
Lastly, I am in no way concerned but I really want to make sure everyone is always prepared. Of course we will be more specific if the storm turns next week but you know if it turns, the bread, eggs and milk will be gone.
Emergency Management Coordinator Jim Yates and I are constantly monitoring the weather and will keep you up to date if anything becomes troublesome.
Have a great weekend!
Chief Robert Garofalo PhD(c) #143
From NOAA:
Here is the latest update (as of early Friday morning) on Tropical Storm Jose and what it may mean for our area next week. The storm is forecast to make a close pass to our coast on Tuesday, as a result, there will be increasing risk for hazards along the coast:
1. Coastal flooding is possible early next week. The severity of the coastal flooding is still uncertain and will depend on how quickly the storm makes the turn to the north east and how close it gets to our coast. The highest risk of coastal flooding is with the Monday evening and Tuesday evening high tides at this time.
2. Swells from Jose are likely to create dangerous surf and rip current conditions through at least the middle of next week.
3. Very windy conditions are possible along the coast on Tuesday. Exactly how high and how far inland the winds will be is also dependent on the track of Jose and how close it comes to our coast.
For the latest forecast track, visit www.nhc.noaa.gov
