TS Henri: Stonington Fishing Fleet Secure, Flood Gates Deployed

STONINGTON, CT — As Tropical Storm Henri threatens and the community has prepared and hunkered down, on Saturday, the Stonington fishing fleet secured and sheltered and for the first time in a decade, the Pawcatuck River hurricane barriers were deployed. And across that river, Westerly RI has issued a shelter-in-place.

Tropical Storm Henri is forecast to make landfall near the Connecticut/Rhode Island border between 1 and 2 p.m. Sunday as a "strong tropical storm with sustained winds of 65 MPH and gusts to 80 MPH," according to the the National Hurricane Center.

Crew aboard fishing vessel Heritage told Patch the hope is that Henri is “not going to be too bad.” And said that being on the far side of the dock further inland may protect against a rising sea.

“Yeah, the swell on that side is not good,” he said.

Over the course of a few hours, vessels including FV Furious, FV Regulus, and FV Tradition came around the dock, lined up and secured themselves to one another.

Also Saturday, for the first time in many years, the gates of the US Army Corps of Engineers-built Pawcatuck River hurricane protection barrier were deployed. Stonington public works staff deployed the eight-foot by 44-foot gates.

One Pawcatuck resident told Patch in the near 30 years living on the river off Mechanic Street, this is only the second time she’s seen the gates deployed.

Meanwhile, Sunday morning, neighbor across the Pawcatuck River, Westerly RI has issued a shelter in place. A similar order has "not yet" been issued in Stonington, per officials.

"Town of Westerly Emergency Management. With the incoming storm we are asking all residents and visitors to shelter in place and avoid being on the roadways until the storm passes."