Prepare, Don't Panic

Don’t panic, just be prepared.

That is the message emergency officials want to share with residents as Hurricane Irene makes its way up the coast and toward the Northeast.

The town is preparing for a Category 3 hurricane, which would bring wind speeds of 115 to 125 miles per hour and cause “catastrophic damage,’’ said Ray Mead, the town’s director of emergency management.

Mead led a meeting of emergency personnel Thursday night at the emergency communications center at the station.

“Chances are slim’’ that such a severe storm will hit, but the town is preparing for the worst, he said.

But even a Category 1 storm could bring wind speeds of 74 to 95 miles per hour. And tropical storm winds of 37 to 75 miles per hour can still bring down trees and power lines.

“These are not gusts,’’ he said. “These are sustained winds.’’

As of his most recent report, the storm track appears to be veering west, which could mean reduced amounts of rainfall than had originally been feared.

Anyone west of the eye of the storm could get six to 12 inches of rain. To the east, which Grafton would be in based on the current track, high winds could be more of an issue.

NStar has predicted that 100,000 households could lose power. National Grid has crews coming to the area from as far as Ohio.

Power outages could be widespread and might last a few days, he said.