Day Three: Hurricane’s A Comin’!

11:55 p.m. – I have taken care of my most important hurricane precaution: Cleaning my cat’s litter box. No way did I want to get stuck with that in my apartment for 72 hours…

I’m about 500 feet from the water, on Rhode Island Avenue across from the , and if I go outside I can hear the waves pelting the rocks down there. The surf and winds are going to be rough, so please observe the town’s parking and seawall bans for tomorrow.

We’ve reiterated this several times, but it bears repeating: Please don’t do anything silly tomorrow. Yes, the weather can be impressive, but make sure the storms and winds have subsided before leaving the house.

When you do venture out, we’re definitely looking for your content. I have a charged laptop battery and an air card, so we will be updating the site throughout the day. Bookmark our site on your mobile phone’s web browser, or download the Patch app.

If you have any specific storm questions, you can ask them in the comments below. We will also be hosting a state-wide chat session tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

8:40 p.m. – Hey folks, hopefully you’ve finished up your preparations for the storm by now, whether you’re staying or evacuating.

This has been reported by several outlets by now, but in case you haven’t heard, Irene is now projected to hit earlier that previously forecasted. Most Rhode Island forecasts I’ve seen have it starting around 5 a.m. Sunday, and lasting until afternoon.

According to Narragansett Town Manager Grady Miller, the town has adjusted its timetable because of this. The town’s emergency shelter at Narragansett High School opened up at 8 p.m.

The town is also advising residents to evacuate by 6 a.m. Sunday, although if you can do it earlier, it is highly encouraged.

Road closures will start at midnight, with the seawall being off-limits. Ocean Road at Point Judith Road will also be closed, to prevent anything but local access for the Point Judith Lighthouse. Yesterday, Miller stressed that they wanted to limit pedestrian traffic as much as possible in these areas.

Outside of that, there isn’t a lot to update on. According to some workers at Stop and Shop, things were surprisingly calm – Shelves were loaded up, but the traffic was light from noon on.

If you’re looking for photos, the one attached to this story is from our Aberdeen, Maryland site. According to of the storm, winds have reached about 80 miles per hour, and 40,000 people in the county are without power.