Some of you may know that Hurricane Sandy continues to track towards the eastern US. Some of the weather models for the hurricane suggests that the storm will come ashore somewhere along the Ocean City, MD coastline and move up towards the southern NJ coastline sometime between Sunday and Monday afternoon. This, coinciding with a full moon, can result in tides higher than normal further compounded by the effects of rain and storm surge.
From the National Weather Service:
THERE IS INCREASING CONFIDENCE THAT THE TRI-STATE AREA WILL FEEL THE IMPACTS OF A DANGEROUS COASTAL STORM LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS INCLUDES THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL AND RESULTANT SIGNIFICANT URBAN… SMALL STREAM… AND RIVER FLOODING… HIGH WINDS CAUSING WIDESPREAD DOWNING OF TREES AND POWER LINES… AND SIGNIFICANT SHORELINE IMPACTS FROM COASTAL FLOODING AND BEACH EROSION. THE SPECIFIC IMPACTS WILL ULTIMATELY DEPEND ON THE EXACT TRACK AND EVOLUTION OF TROPICAL CYCLONE SANDY AS IT INTERACTS WITH A DEEPENING UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHING THE EAST COAST.
It is recommended that our diocese, especially those who live in low lying areas, flood zones and along the coast, begin preparations for a major storm. The European and NOAA weather models have projections that would almost be worst case scenarios for the tri-state area in terms of winds and power outages.
Preparation is the best defense – stay tuned to available resources: radio, TV, National Weather Service, and your local emergency management resources. For additional resources, please refer to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website – www.ready.gov/hurricanes for comprehensive information on hurricane preparedness.
If you know of home-bound and/or older individuals within your congregations and local area, please reach out to them and offer assistance to them in any way that might be beneficial to their physical and emotional well-being. A simple phone call during a storm can provide a calming spirit to those who live alone and/or don’t have family who can be in touch with them.
Please contact Deacon Chris McCloud at clmccloud1961@gmail.com if you have any questions or seek further assistance/resources for storm preparation.
Let us offer our prayers for those being affected by this storm and for those in its path:
“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zeph. 3:17
