Weather

Residents along coast make last-minute preparations as Jose nears

BOSTON — Residents along the South Shore and southern coast of Massachusetts don’t have much time to prepare their homes and property against the wind and rain that Hurricane Jose is expected to bring into the area starting Tuesday.

WATCH: TRACKING JOSE: Latest forecast information

Jose remained a hurricane in the 8 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center with winds of 75 miles per hour.

The storm currently about 350 miles south of Nantucket and is heading north at 9 miles per hour. It’s expected to begin a turn to the northeast sometime on Tuesday.

WATCH: TRACKING JOSE: Wave height, marine forecast

A tropical storm warning is in effect from:

  • Watch Hill to Hull
  • Block Island
  • Martha's Vineyard
  • Nantucket

Along the coast in Scituate, people haven’t been wasting time preparing as the area typically bears the brunt of storms.

Jose may not be as much of an issue there, but residents told Boston 25 News they aren’t taking any chances and want to be prepared.

Some of the homes along the coast were built with storms in mind. Many sit on stilts, but there are concerns about storm surge and flooding. Scituate residents are hoping that they receive protection from an improved sea wall, which is two feet taller in some areas.

In Plymouth, emergency officials said they’re ready to activate the Emergency Operations Center if need be, and they’ve been putting out advisories in electronic message boards to let residents know to take precautions.

“We’re not taking any chances,” homeowner Brian Skellett said. “You can see how far the tide comes in. It wiped out that porch a couple of years ago. I’m not going to take any chances.”

Others who live by the Atlantic Ocean will stay put and hope Jose won’t pack much of a punch.

“I’m not worried about it,” Elizabeth James said. “This is my third season renting this cottage. My landlord said to just batten down the hatches. I think it’s just going to be a lot of wind and rain.”

In addition to homeowners, South Shore boaters have also been warned to take precautions. Many people spent their day Monday securing their vessels with extra lines and pulling in fishing nets.

Down along Cape Cod and the Islands, people are not taking chances. Boston 25 News found houses boarded up in Falmouth. People were also removing boats from the water and put into dry dock.

And anyone hoping to get to or from Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket don’t have much time to get to where they need to be.

The last ferries to and from the Islands will be Tuesday, but not everyone is trying to make it to the mainland.

Benjamin Wells canceled his vacation last week to St. Thomas because of Hurricane Irma. He said he doesn’t want Hurricane Jose to ruin his backup vacation to Martha’s Vineyard.

“We were initially supposed to go down to St. Thomas, south, so we went way north and now we have Jose,” Wells said. “But that’s OK. We’re going to make the best of it.”