(01/09/20) - The Bangor Township supervisor is urging community members to prepare for this weekend's storm.
Glenn Rowley said people should consider putting gas in their generators, stocking their homes with non-perishable food items, and piling up sandbags.
He also said checking with your insurance agent about water-related coverage is a good idea before the storm arrives.
"All of our shoreline areas are my biggest concern right now," Rowley said.
Rowley said it's been a tough year with the record high water.
Add in more water and it could get worse. "Having just one inch of rain gives us lots of flooding, ponding, standing water on the roads," Rowley said. "You can only imagine what will happen if we get three inches of this."
The forecast also includes cold, snow and strong northeast winds. The winds are especially damaging along the Saginaw Bay shoreline.
"It's the perfect storm and even if you are not in one of our low-lying or coastal areas, this is going to effect you in some way or another," Rowley said. "You're either going to have water on the roadways, you will have drains that back because there is no way for this water to go. If it is a heavy rain or ice or sleet event, you may be without power, and who knows how long that is going to be. So this will effect everybody in this area in one way or another."
John Fournier has weathered storms like this before at his Kilarney Beach home. "Just get ready the best you can. I have sandbags out," he said.
So far the sandbags have kept the water from creeping into his home of 22 years.
Fournier hopes this storm is no different.
"If you watch the weather and just do what you can do, you know. Because it's really not a bad place to live," Fournier said.
Last summer Bangor Township got 46,000 sandbags.
Rowley said at last check less than 10,000 are left.
The sandbags, and a pile of sand, are available to community members who still need them. They're located in the back of the parking lot at the Bangor Township office. They're available on a first come, first served basis.