August 19, 1991 satellite photo of Hurricane Bob

(Courtesy of NASA)

Call your Emergency Manager for more information:

Mashpee:

508-539-1454

Barnstable:

508-775-0920

Check your local radio stations for up to date information:

WCOD - Hyannis 106.1 FM

WPXC - Hyannis 102.9 FM

WKKL - West Barnstable 90.7 FM

WTWV - Mashpee 101.1 FM

WQRC - Barnstable 99.9 FM

Two of the worst hurricanes to affect Cape Cod and the Islands were the Great New England Hurricane of 1938, which caused severe damage to the Upper Cape, and the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944, which heavily damaged the Middle and Lower Cape. The 1938 Hurricane struck on September 21 at a high tide that coincided with the highest astronomical tide of the year, pushing a storm surge of 12 to 15 feet across the south coast and up the many bays and inlets. The destructive power of the storm surge was felt throughout the coastal community.
Sections of Falmouth and New Bedford were submerged under as much as 8 feet of water. Winds of over 120 miles per hour blew across the coastal regions. Extensive damage occurred to roofs, trees, and crops. Widespread power outages occurred, which in some areas lasted several weeks. In Connecticut, downed power lines resulted in catastrophic fires to sections of New London and Mystic. Parts of interior Connecticut and Massachusetts not only bore the brunt of high winds, but also experienced severe river flooding as rain from the hurricane combined with heavy rains earlier that week and produced rainfall totals of up to 17 inches. This resulted in some of the worst river flooding ever experienced in parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts.
This powerful storm caused 564 deaths and over 1,700 injuries. Nearly 9,000 homes and businesses were destroyed with over 15,000 damaged. Damage to the fishing fleets in southern New England was catastrophic, with a total of 2,605 vessels destroyed and 3,369 damaged.
It is not uncommon for New England to be impacted more than once in a given season. The Cape has been impacted by two or more tropical storms or hurricanes in one season a total of 11 times. The most notable season was 1954, when southeastern Massachusetts faced Hurricanes Carol, Edna, and Hazel. Carol and Edna each rated as Category 3 storms.

HERE are some links that you may be interested in viewing and some documents that you may be interested in downloading.

• OHS/OPOA Hurricane Prepardedness

• OHS/OHPOA Hurricane Survival Manual

• Cape Cod Shelter Locations Map

• Hurricane Preparedness Kit from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

• American Red Cross PDF document "Preparing for a Disaster"

• Hurricane Bob 10 Years Later
  A Cape Cod Times special section

• Protect your home against a hurricane - USA Today