WCAI: Flash flooding here? Not much. On Cape Cod, officials prepare for ‘The Big One’ — a hurricane
CAI | By Jennette Barnes
Although Cape Cod and the Islands are not prone to the kind of flash flooding from rivers that killed more than 120 people in Texas last week, local emergency managers have their own risks to watch.
“For us, ‘The Big One’ is a hurricane,” said Chip Reilly, emergency preparedness director for the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment.
Hurricanes can bring coastal flooding, along with destructive wind, rain, downed trees, and power outages.
Reilly said the maximum-impact scenario would be a major hurricane hitting the region in August, when the population has swelled with summer tourists. By then, the September peak of hurricane season is drawing near.
“People are here for vacation,” he said. “They’re not going to want to leave until the last minute. And, of course, we’re restricted by our bridges.”
Any evacuation would hit a major choke point at the Bourne and Sagamore bridges, the only roadways off the Cape. Traffic already backs up on weekends, and even more so on a holiday — just like it did Sunday, as people were leaving at the end of the 4th of July weekend.
“We were at gridlock status through a lot of the communities in the Mid Cape,” Reilly said. “So that’s one of our issues, but we plan for it. We plan for everything.”
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