Region's ready if Earl storms in

The crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard barque Eagle lowered the ship's masts Wednesday in case Hurricane Earl forces it to relocate to a safer location today.

The Eagle's three masts were lowered from 147 feet to 134 feet - a time-consuming process that required moving the yards and loosening the rigging to lower and then "house" the masts - so that the training vessel could sail under the Gold Star Memorial Bridge.

Marinas, boaters and municipalities were also taking a wait-and-see attitude toward Earl, splitting time on Wednesday between tracking the hurricane and preparing for it.

On Wednesday afternoon, officials in Norwich listened to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologist estimate that Earl will pass by southeastern Connecticut about 150 miles off the southern tip of Long Island. On Wednesday night, the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch for the region.

The forecast for southeastern Connecticut on Friday calls for about two inches of rain and tropical storm-force winds of about 40 mph with gusts up to 50 to 60 mph. The strongest winds are expected from 5 p.m. to midnight. Rainfall is expected to become heavy at about 2 p.m. in the New London area.

Capt. Eric Jones, commanding officer of the Eagle, said he would decide today, with guidance from the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, whether to take Eagle from State Pier to a more sheltered pier at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, or possibly out to anchor in Long Island Sound. The pier at the base is stronger and not as exposed, Jones added.

At the base Wednesday, crews tied up submarines with extra lines. Lt. Patrick Evans, spokesman for Submarine Group Two, said there were no current plans to send submarines out to sea.

"We are watching the storm closely and waiting before taking any specific actions," Evans said in a statement. "We will take all the necessary precautions to deal with the potential of destructive winds and storm surge."

The waterfront staff at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London has been working since Monday to secure boats and loose gear. Some boats were taken out of the water while others were stored in moorings that can withstand hurricane-force winds.

Electric Boat has an extensive checklist of actions, including stockpiling and staging sandbags and removing and securing waterfront equipment, said Robert Hamilton, company spokesman.

Hunkering down

The offices at Noank Shipyard resembled a war room on Wednesday, with a series of maps and charts tracking the movement of Earl taped to a window. The scene was similar up the Mystic River at the Noank Village Boatyard, where yard manager Bob Helbig had boat-specific plans on his desk and a National Hurricane Center map on his computer screen.

"We're just going to hunker down, check everything and make sure we don't have anything loose," said Helbig, who has been sending daily e-mails to customers since the storm threat materialized.

Kathleen Burns, the general manager of Noank Shipyard, has been overseeing operations at the marina. Workers are moving boats from the outer edges of the marina - "the most exposed slips we have here" - to Seaport Marine, a sister marina closer to downtown Mystic, Burns said. Rather than taking boats out of the water for the season, she added, people are being advised to secure their boats and remove anything that could catch wind, such as sails, canvas or grills.

"We're just keeping an eye on things," Burns said. "We'll definitely be watching."

At the Stonington Town Dock, the last boat in the fishing fleet still at sea, the scalloper Patti Jo, is expected to arrive home this morning, according to dockmaster Richard Bardwell, who said captains are now taking a wait-and-see approach before making further preparations.

Bardwell said the construction barges being used to raise the railroad bridges between Stonington Harbor and Lambert's Cove will be moving to the dock for better protection.

At Mystic Seaport, spokesman Michael O'Farrell said shipyard crews have taken additional rope out of storage to better secure boats and will be meeting this morning for another planning session.

At Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, spokesman Peter Glankoff said there are plenty of generators in place to provide power for the life-support systems in the exhibits. He said animals in outdoor exhibits, such as beluga whales, are safe where they are, while seals, sea lions and penguins can be moved inside if necessary.

Power outages expected

Officials in many local towns will hold meetings this morning to continue storm preparations.

Public works employees and firefighters have been checking equipment, school officials are ready in case they need to call for an early dismissal Friday, and towns are lining up potential shelters.

"Everybody's been doing their behind-the-scenes stuff, checking staff availability and stuff like that," said Joe Sastre, Groton's emergency management director. "But it's still early for much more than that. We'll have a real good idea what to expect (this afternoon), but we know it's going to be crappy. It'll be windy and rainy and we'll have power outages, because we always do. We have power outages on clear days here in southeastern Connecticut."

Towns will be keeping an eye on areas that were affected by the March flood. In Waterford, that means Great Neck Road and Quaker Hill, according to Waterford First Selectman Daniel Steward.

Stonington First Selectmen Ed Haberek, whose town was inundated in March, said officials now know where they need to be ready to deploy pumps and close roads.

One change the town has made based on its experience in March is to route all damage calls to the town's emergency operations center instead of having them go to Town Hall, which is not staffed around the clock. A section of Route 184 in Old Mystic which washed out in the March flood still remains closed.

Given the recent experience of the March flood, Norwich City Manager Alan Bergren said city officials know very well the process of documenting any city damage in preparation for possible emergency aid following the storm.

"We're well-versed in the procedures," Bergren said.

In New London, the city manager, fire and police chiefs and the head of public works have meet to be sure enough staff will be on duty if the storm hits. For the most part, the city is prepared and ready.

Civil Preparedness Director Reid Burdick was not worried on Wednesday about abundant flooding from the storm.

"New London, once again in these matter, is very fortunate in that we rise pretty quickly from the ocean,'' he said.

Burdick advised people to be prepared in case severe weather hits and "buy some beers and burgers.''

"So on Friday, if the you lose power, it won't be a total loss,'' he said.

j.mcdermott@theday.com

m.collette@theday.com

Day staff writers Joe Wojtas, Jenna Cho, Claire Bessette and Kathleen Edgecomb contributed to this report.