Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts on Friday after forecasters predicted Hurricane Irene would hit the Boston area this weekend.
In anticipation of heavy rain and wind, Patrick called in 2,500 National Guardsmen to help the Bay State, according to a Mass.gov press release from Friday.
Patrick also asked President Barack Obama for a Pre-Landfall Emergency Declaration to “expedite federal assistance to the Commonwealth to prepare for and recover from the impact of Hurricane Irene,” according to the release.
The National Weather Service has issued hurricane and tropical storm watches in Suffolk County, predicting heavy rain and the potential for moderate to major flooding Saturday night into Sunday. Tropical storm conditions are forecast until Monday.
The storm made its way through Cape Hatteras, N.C. early Friday morning, moving north at 14 miles per hour, according to weather reports. The storm is expected to hit the North Carolina coast and continue northward.
Massachusetts has not faced conditions of this kind since Hurricane Bob, which caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage 20 years ago, National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson told The Boston Globe.
To prepare for the storm, Boston University administrators are advising students to stay indoors, avoid windows and glass doors and have a flashlight handy.
Residence Life is anticipating power outages and water leaks, director David Zamojski wrote in an email to FYSOP students.
The Residence Life office has a supply of flashlights for students who need one, which they can pick up from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 7 p.m. to 12 a.m., seven days a week, according to the email.
The BU Police Department will schedule extra patrols of campus during the storm, the email said.
In his blog, Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore urged BU students participating in the First Year Student Outreach Project and other programs on-campus to travel with caution and avoid getting caught in the storm.
“We understand flights may be delayed, and we will coordinate our airport pickups appropriately,” he wrote on Aug. 24. “Please put your personal safety first, and do not travel through unsafe conditions.”
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