Nantucket locals makes last minute preparations

NANTUCKET, Mass. – As the wind picked up on the island, Nantucket town officials and locals prepared for Earl for days.

Ahead of Earl, the ferry was packed with people trying to get off Nantucket while town officials prepared and warned anyone who planed on staying to be ready for the storm.

“Get enough bottled water and nonperishable foods for about 36 hours, make sure you get your medicines and baby and pet food,” said Gregg Tivnan, the assistant town manager.

Homeowners like Gene Ratner are going to the extreme to save what they’ve built by putting huge sandbags out and hoping that the ocean doesn’t swallow it all up.

“The beach is gone beyond me. Understand I’m 175 feet into the beach, into the water. We’re our own peninsula here,” said Gene Ratner, a resident.

Back in town it’s a symphony of saws as businesses work to board up.

“We’re not sure if the storm is gonna hit, but it looks like it’s gonna come close so we’re gonna be safe rather than sorry and board up the windows. Were gonna put sandbags in the door and just try and keep everything off the floor,” said PJ Rubin, a store owner.

The grocery stores were packed with people picking up last minute items.

“Basics: milk, water. We’re islanders, we’ve been through this a lot,” said Marilyn Thompson, a resident.

Town officials said they are prepared if the power goes out; National Grid is already on the island.

“They also sent over an emergency crew, spot crew that will go out in case something happens. In case of an outage we’ve been telling people to have enough batteries, ice and so forth,” said Tivnan.

The Red Cross’s emergency center will be opened at the high school at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, and the ferry service will run as long as it can until Earl gets close.

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