Cape Cod prepared for high wind, power outages & coastal flooding - Boston 25 News
Cape Cod prepared for high wind, power outages & coastal flooding - Boston 25 News
SANDWICH, Mass. — People on Cape Cod are batten down the hatches as a fast-moving storm is expected to bring high winds, power outages and minor coastal flooding.
The Harbormaster in Sandwich told Boston 25 News that he’s hoping spectators stay away from areas frequently visited during storms.
He said astronomical hide tides are increasing the threat of wash over from the Cape Cod Canal and could leave some parking lots and coastal roadways partially submerged.
Sandwich residents are also watching closely to see if this weather event adds to the on-going coastal erosion that’s been plaguing the shoreline.
“I’m hoping with the wind direction and the way it comes in, that it can spare our coastline a little bit,” said Kayla Krueger. “At the same time, we don’t want it hitting the other side and banging the other side of the Cape.”
Barnstable County officials have recommended that families put together an emergency preparedness kit ahead of the storm.
They say each kit should include a gallon of water per person, extra blankets, non-perishable food and flashlights with extra batteries.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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Related Knowledge Center: Offshore wind energy
Over the next decade, U.S. offshore wind power is expected to grow from a single 30-megawatt wind farm off Rhode Island to more than 2,000 MW of capacity along the Atlantic Seaboard. There are contracts for wind power off the coasts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has estimated the United States has over 4,000 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind potential, enough to power the country four times over.
The growth in part being spurred by state solicitations, including in New York, where then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) set a commitment of 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, and in Connecticut, where in June 2021, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed legislation authorizing the construction of 2,000 MW of offshore wind by 2030.
The offshore development is also being driven by an investment tax credit set to end in December 2019 and is equal to 12 percent of expenditures. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) have introduced a bill to extend the tax credit for up to eight years.
The Interior Department has held eight competitive lease sales that resulted in 15 offshore wind leases over 1.7 million acres that has the potential for 21 GW of capacity. In February 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed a bidding process that realized $4.37 billion for 488,000 acres across six lease areas in federal waters off New York and New Jersey.
Projects have also been proposed off the Southeast coast, off California and Hawaii, and for the Great Lakes.