N.H. makes provisions for Earl

What a difference 150 miles can make.

While emergency officials in New Hampshire are ready and eyeing Hurricane Earl's path up the East Coast, officials and residents on Nantucket are boarding up windows and finding new berths for their boats.

Kevin Fredette, the owner of Gate City Tree Service, said he's made a few plans in case the now Category 3 storm hits hard enough in Southern New Hampshire to bring down trees and limbs, but isn't skipping his vacation either.

He said several employees have volunteered to be on an "auxiliary crew" that will be on call over the weekend. Fredette said he has also stockpiled about 20 gallons of gas and a couple hundred gallons of diesel, as well as some supplies. He's also going to begin his own vacation Sunday rather than tomorrow, he said.

"We're ready for it if happens, and if it doesn't happen, I guess that's a good thing," Fredette said.

Power company officials said the same thing earlier this week. PSNH has made sure to top off emergency supplies and the fuel tanks of its fleet but otherwise is just keeping an eye on the weather, spokesman Martin Murray said.

The storm appears to be heading east of the New Hampshire coast, but safety officials were encouraging homeowners who live near the coast to have extra batteries and water. The town of Rye said it would close all town beaches because of possible dangerous ocean currents.

"I think there's still some uncertainty if it will swing toward the west or not," said Katya Brennan, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, which has had daily briefings with state agencies and communities. "We're not relaxing."

As Earl's projected path shifted closer to Nantucket yesterday, officials and residents there started preparing in earnest.

"We're preparing for the worst," said Nantucket's assistant town manager Gregg Tivnan.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm's arrival. He also urged people living in low-lying areas prone to flooding to consider leaving their homes by this afternoon.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami yesterday issued a hurricane warning for the Massachusetts coast from Westport to Hull, including Cape Cod and the Islands, with Nantucket expected to be the hardest hit.

A tropical storm warning is in effect from New Haven, Conn., to Westport, Mass., including Block Island, R.I. A tropical storm watch is in effect from Hull, Mass., to Eastport, Maine.

Earl is expected to be a Category 2 storm by the time it hits New England waters tonight.

The National Weather Service predicted wind gusts up to 85 mph for Cape Cod and 100 mph on Nantucket.

"The main impact would be high surf, dangerous rips, heavy rain and wind," said Charlie Foley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Nantucket had already seen a steady exodus of boats yesterday, and those that remained were being "spider moored," meaning they were all tied together. Windows at town-owned buildings were being boarded and the island pulled lifeguards from public beaches at noon yesterday.

"We're recommending people not go in the water," Tivnan said. "In fact, we're encouraging people not to even go on the beaches on the southern parts of the island. One wave is all it takes to sweep someone away."