CHATHAM, Mass — At Chatham Light, there is no question, Lee is on this community’s doorstep.
The winds are kicking up, and surf is getting stronger by the hour.
“It looks like it’s going to be a pretty nasty storm the way the wind is, being hours away,” said Eric Harvey said.
Chatham sits on Cape Cod’s elbow, and over the years it has been handled many devastating storms.
As Lee approaches, people are here catching a glimpse of Lee’s arrival.
“It’s really windy. We’re out just enjoying everything we can before the storm hit,” said Rona Vickroy.
She and her husband, Todd, are visiting the Cape from Iowa.
“We’re used to the wind, we have tornados,” said Todd Vickroy. “The wind doesn’t bother me, I’m not too sure about what else is going to happen tonight.”
Jill Goldsmith is Chatham’s Town Manager.
She and other town officials have been prepping for Lee for days.
Goldsmith tells me her biggest concern is the strength of Lee’s winds and the potential for power outages.
The town has a supply of generators on standby.
“It’s just a waiting game, we’re watching the models just like everybody else is. And we’re asking for the residents to do whatever they can to be prepared for 72 hours, just in case there’s a power outage,” Goldsmith said. “We’re ready for the worst. Hopefully, it’s not going to be as bad as we might be prepared for.”
Potential flooding is also a major concern.
In previous years, storm surges have cut off sections of town.
That’s not expected to happen with Lee, but the Fire Chief is warning people about the potential.
“Don’t try to drive through those flood waters. It’s not like driving through a freshwater rain puddle,” Chief Justin Tavano said. “It’s tidal water, it can move fast. It’s got current with it. So, it’s really important not to drive through it.”
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