BANGOR, Maine — According to weather experts, Hurricane Lee’s impact will be comparable to the nor'easter storms Mainers often see.
Although the National Weather Service doesn't predict that Hurricane Lee will make full-on landfall in Maine, NWS warning coordination meteorologist Louise Fode said people should start preparing for the storm now.
"What we’re expecting to see for Maine is heavy rainfall, tropical storm force winds, and some potential coastal flooding and erosion," Fode said.
Fode said the storm is expected to hit Saturday around 5 p.m. and then clear out by Sunday. At the very least, Mainers can expect to experience power outages in several areas.
Recent weather conditions could make the expected impact worse, Fode said.
"The complicating factor is that we’ve had some recent rainfall," Fode said. "So the soils are saturated, and that means that trees won’t be in the ground as strongly, and even lower winds can cause trees to blow over that maybe perhaps wouldn’t blow over normally.
Penobscot County Emergency Management Director Bradley Nuding said to start preparing by tending to duties around the house.
"If they haven’t already, you know start cleaning out their gutters, checking out their sump pumps, bringing in outside furniture, making sure they’ve got plenty of gas in both their vehicles.
Fode said people who have generators should be proactive and take an extra step.
"Test it before the storm arrives, so if you do end up needing to use that generator, it’s ready to go," Fode said.
Fode said people could possibly spend days without power. With no electricity, families will need to have easy-to-make food on hand, Nuding said.
He advised that people head to the store and stock up on the extra items that they need to hold them over until power is restored in case of widespread power outages. Nuding said that for some families, buying extra supplies will be a hit on their pockets.
"I know some just-in-time expenses can be difficult for some families — but we should be trying to at least keep some basics in our households," Nuding said.
According to Nuding, the general recommendation is to have at least one gallon of water for each person and pet in the home, have the medications and prescription drugs needed, get additional pet supplies, and buy a decent amount of easy-to-make food items.
He said what you shouldn’t do is panic.
"I would not advise people to go above and beyond too much. Keeping it within their budgets obviously," Nuding said. "But just basic food that you would need."
Fode said that the better people prepare now, the easier it will be to prepare for other storms later in the year.
"Go ahead and prepare for this," Fode said. "Stay home. Please don’t drive through flood waters. And of, course, if you need help call 9-1-1."
To see a list of items that can be included in your emergency preparation plan, click here.