Mills urges caution as Hurricane Lee’s landfall looms

Gov. Janet Mills briefs the media about the state’s preparation of the approaching Hurricane Lee on Friday at the Maine Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

AUGUSTA — Gov. Janet Mills urged people to prepare and take precautions in the final hours before the impacts of Hurricane Lee reach Maine early Saturday and said to stay home if at all possible.

Following a briefing at Maine Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters Friday afternoon, Mills said state officials are most concerned about tree damage and flooding.

“While the hurricane has recently been downgraded, to me it is unusual to see a 300-mile width span of tropical-strength winds that can be extremely damaging to the state of Maine and other places the storm is likely to affect,” Mills said.

The storm, classed as a Category 1 hurricane as of Friday afternoon, brings with it the possibility of widespread wind damage, power outages and downed power lines.

While some tree damage occurs with bad storms, in this case the winds — which will be stronger along the coast — are expected to affect a broad area.

“We’re concerned about tree damage on human beings, on cars, on houses and across roads and flooding,” Mills said.

Gov. Janet Mills greets people working in the operations center at Maine Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Augusta on Friday, a day before Hurricane Lee is expected to follow a path east of the state. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Following strong storms that hit parts of Maine in July, it’s clear that flash flooding occurs in areas not subject to storm surges and high tides or lakes and rivers. Because of runoff, flash flooding can occur anywhere, including well away from bodies of water.

“People out driving during a storm with heavy rains should be very aware of the possibility of deep water and not to drive through water without knowing how deep it is,” she said. “Don’t test it.”

Peter Rogers, director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency, said the state’s emergency management agency has been tracking Lee since it first formed as a tropical storm and charted its progression.

“The biggest message I can tell you right now is that even though people are saying it’s starting to break up, that wind field is over 300 miles long,” he said. “The state will get damages. We will lose power.”

While the sun might be out in parts of the state Saturday afternoon, Rogers said people should not head to the state’s beaches to watch the surf because a storm surge is still expected, with high waves and dangerous conditions.

The state’s emergency response team is expected to be fully activated on Saturday, with representatives from across state government, electric utilities and other support organizations on-hand to address emergencies as they arise. Rogers said it will also be in contact with county emergency managers across the state.

Gov. Janet Mills, left, greets people working in the emergency operations center at the Maine Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Augusta on Friday, a day before Hurricane Lee is expected to follow a path east of the state. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Mills and emergency managers offered advice to residents, including having three days’ worth of food, water and medicine on hand for everyone in the household as well as for pets.

Generators should be fueled, installed and in good working order before the storm; they should be operated at a safe distance from homes. Sump pumps should also be checked before the storm.

In the event of power outages, cell phones should be charged up, with options for backup charging available. Leave refrigerators and freezers closed to prevent food spoilage.

Bring in any lawn furniture and secure anything likely to blow around in a storm.

“For crying out loud, get your boat out of the water and tie it down really, really well,” she said.

And, she said, monitor weather forecasts.

Separately, Central Maine Power Co. reported that about 500 crews who have been tapped to help with expected power restoration this weekend had started arriving in Maine, with some gathering at the Maine Visitor Information Center in Kittery for an initial briefing before they are assigned across the utility’s service area.

“On the eve of this storm’s arrival, one of our concerns continues to be tree stress and soil saturation from heavy rains this past summer,” Jon Breed, CMP spokesman, said via a news release Friday. “These conditions, when combined with strong winds and full foliate, can make it easy for trees to fall.”

Late Thursday, President Biden approved an emergency declaration request in Maine as the state braced for the arrival of Hurricane Lee late Friday or early Saturday.

Having that in place allows federal resources to be staged in the state and allows faster access to federal resources, Mills said.

“You don’t have to wait till after a storm and then ask for help; we do this preemptively for a good reason so we’ll be prepared ahead of time before damage occurs,” Mills said.

Even with federal funding secured, she said it can take time for repairs to be made.

Currently, Maine has 10 open emergency declarations including recently announced declarations for Franklin and Oxford counties and a declaration from the May Day storm that brought flooding to the Kennebec River valley.