New Brunswickers get an early start on preparing for Hurricane Lee

With Hurricane Lee setting a course for New Brunswick this weekend, some residents have already started preparing for heavy rain, high winds and potential storm surge.

David LaFlamme, the manager at Market Wharf in Saint Andrews, said the town notified him Wednesday morning to batten down the hatches, remove any loose materials and secure items such as picnic tables and garbage cans.

He's also preparing an email to send to all permit holders and boat owners about getting ready for Lee.

"We're the target of the storm," said LaFlamme. "Even though what might save us in the end is that it will be downgraded to a tropical storm, there will still be an impact from it, both in wind and rain."

Hurricane Lee is still expected to remain near Category 1 in strength as it moves into the Maritimes on Saturday. It's expected to transition to a post-tropical storm as it slowly moves through the region later Saturday and into Sunday, while continuing to bring tropical storm-force winds. 

The bands of rain and strongest winds are expected to spread out and encompass a larger area as the storm moves along.

Robert Carney owns Jolly Breeze Whale Watching Adventures in Saint Andrews and he's preparing to take the Jolly Breeze boat to Eastport, Maine.

"They have a big machine there that lifts boats like this out of the water. It's the only place around here that has a travel lift," Carney said.

He said he's hoping to get the boat back in on Monday to finish the season without incident.

During Hurricane Arthur, Carney said he spent the whole storm on the Jolly Breeze, and right at the end of the storm the mooring broke and he had to head for Eastport in 100 km/h winds to get shelter.

"It's not something we want to do again. So we're going to haul out this year," he said. "Usually [the storms] don't end up being as bad as you fear. But it's too late to wait and make preparations later. So now's the time to get everything ship-shape."

In Shediac, Rob Taylor, owner of the Sandbar restaurant on the Pointe-Du-Chêne wharf, said the building has been hit hard by hurricanes in the past, but he feels prepared this year.

"We've kind of learned our lesson over the years," he said.

Taylor has closed the restaurant and is getting ready for the storm to hit. He said solid wood shutters will be bolted to the windows to stop the wind from getting in, and the skirting has been removed from the bottom of the building.