CHATHAM, Mass. (WHDH) — Residents continue to storm prep on the Cape Cod, but with Hurricane Jose looming out at sea, time is running out to get ready.
“Regardless of the strength of the storm, we’re going to react that way and be prepared for the worst,” said Capt. Richard Schultz, who expects Jose to bring high winds, 10-15 foot waves and a dangerous storm surge.
In Chatham, large Coast Guard vessels have been moved out of harms way. The smaller boats are staying to respond to emergencies.
To help in their response, Schultz asks anyone with a kayak or canoe to bring it to land.
“What we don’t want to happen is for those smaller crafts to become adrift and we have to tie search and rescue resources, searching for someone who may not be out there,” said Schultz.
All mariners are advised to stay off the water. Boaters like Kevin Kavanagh plan to heed that warning. Others have pulled their boats out of the water all together.
“It’s just a little bit nerve-racking, but it’s something you prepare for,” he said.
While the Coast Guard is prepared for the worst, many people are hoping the worst never comes.
“I’m praying that it stays on course for northeast and spares us as much as possible,” Kavanagh said.
7’s Alex DiPrato was in Sandwich, where boaters are accepting an early end to the season as Jose threatens to bring life-threatening conditions at sea.
“Now it’s the end of the season. A storm is coming. So we can pull them out a little bit earlier,” Harbor Master John Kondratowicz said.
Residents in Sandwich did not plan on using sandbags or boarding up homes like people in Florida did ahead of Irma.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)