Tropical Storm Henri Advisory 2

SCITUATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

August 22, 2021

Good morning,

Tropical Storm Henri is due to make landfall in southwest Rhode Island early this afternoon. The Northeast winds are picking up & the first heavy rain bands have come through our area. Fortunately, the storm has moved west from our last advisory.

We still anticipate minor to moderate impacts from this storm as it makes landfall as a strong tropical storm, steady winds exceeding 65 mph near the center of the storm. The strongest impacts from the storm in Scituate are expected early to late afternoon with steady east to southeast winds 25-35 mph with gusts exceeding 50mph.

These strong wind gusts could cause tree & limb damage and bring scattered power outages. If you lose power please contact National Grid at 800-465-1212 and Eversource for our Humarock residents at 800-286-2000. If you see downed power lines please dial 911 and remember always stay away from downed wires as they could still be energized.

If you need your generator, have fresh gasoline, and always keep generators away from windows and doors to reduce any chance of carbon monoxide poisoning. As mentioned earlier carbon monoxide poisoning has become one of the leading causes of death during long duration power outages that often occur with gusting winds.

We are concerned for the coastal flood potential, specifically our noon time high tide (10’). The timing of the forecast storm surge (1-3’) will be the primary factor in determining any flooding at the noon high tide. With the strongest wind’s forecast for early afternoon, we believe the storm surge will be at its maximum height at this time. If this timing is accurate then we believe the coastal flood potential would diminish as the tide will be going out at the time of peak surge.

The wind direction is expected to veer to the southeast this afternoon into the evening. This wind direction will also help reduce our coastal flood potential for our midnight (11’) high tide.

Again, make sure all outside furniture & grills are secure so they do not become airborne and cause additional damage. Be prepared to move your vehicles away from the flood prone areas. The Barker Tavern has offered their parking lot for those who would like to move their vehicles to higher ground. We are not going to request evacuations for our coastal residents but it would be safer to move to higher ground before the noon high tide.

We ask that you stay informed and help any neighbors in need, especially if you lose power for a considerable amount of time. Last, these tropical storms always bring the potential for an isolated tornado. Please review the attached tornado safety guideline.

Be prepared and Stay Safe!