Cape Town had prepared for the worst before Tropical Storm Henri made landfall on Sunday morning.
A few days ago it looked like the area was going to take a direct hit from Henri.
As of 8 p.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard set the Hurricane ZULU condition for all ports throughout the Southeastern New England region. No vessel could enter or leave the ports of Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod Bay, Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound.
But on Sunday morning, Cape Town faced a milder storm – Henri was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm – with less risk of damage and danger.
It was a far cry from the 74-100mph winds that a hurricane could have brought to Cape Town.
“I think we dodged a bullet,” said Harwich Harbor Master John Rendon.
Ferry service stopped
The Steamship Authority and Hy-Line Cruise have halted all ferry service and closed all of their offices due to the storm. Their websites promised to update the information as the storm progressed. The two ferry services said they plan to resume service on Monday.
But the astronomical high tide and storm surge were strong enough to shut down Atlantic Drive on Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday morning. Edgartown police posted the warning at 9:45 a.m. and advised drivers to find alternate routes.
Flood
At 10:30 a.m., Falmouth Police closed Surf Drive from Mill Road to Oyster Pond Road due to flooding.
It was reported by CBS News at 10:54 a.m. that Beach Road in Oak Bluffs was flooded due to the storm surge from Henry.
Still, the outlook for public safety looked good. None of the emergency shelters listed on the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee website had opened by 10:45 a.m.
Henri follow-up:What New England needs to know about the track, timing, watches, warnings
High surf and tear current warnings
Barnstable’s assistant harbor master Jarod Smoller saw many people on the beaches at 11:30 a.m. but they were cautious as they watched the storm send waves crashing to shore. He expected to see wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph in the late morning and early afternoon. Smoller cautioned against high surf and rip currents. Her biggest advice was to be careful on the beaches.
“There are not many people on the road,” said Smoller. “They heed the storm warnings.”
The new Emergency Operations Center / EOC training room went well on Sunday, according to a Facebook post from the Bourne Police Department. The technology will allow police, firefighters, emergency management, the harbor master’s office and other municipal services to communicate with each other and with other agencies in the event of an emergency. “Looks like Henri spared us the worst,” a police spokesperson said.
The City of Falmouth Emergency Operations Center closed at 3 p.m. Sunday. The Center has posted a warning to exercise caution and caution while the remainder of Tropical Storm Henri leaves the area. Storm surges and rising tides will remain dangerous until Monday, the message said.
