Last modified: Friday, September 5, 2008 1:30 AM EDT Chris Petersen secures a wooden storm shutter at a beach home in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., as Tropical Storm Hanna made it's way towards the coast on Thursday. Hanna is forecast to make landfall near Wilmington early Saturday morning, and the New England area may feel some of the effects as early as tonight. (Associated Press) Area departments gearing up for Hanna's arrival BY MICHAEL GELBWASSER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF Local fire departments will be at full force this weekend to handle potential flooding and wind damage if Tropical Storm Hanna strikes Southern New England as expected. Two to 4 inches of rain with 25 mph winds and higher gusts are anticipated overnight Saturday into the pre-dawn hours Sunday, the National Weather Service office in Taunton said. Some rain could come late Saturday. The forecast has led to the cancellation of the fly-in scheduled for Saturday at Mansfield Municipal Airport. No makeup date has been scheduled. However, Wrentham Day is still on for Saturday, Recreation Director Jeff Plympton said Thursday. Plympton said he will post any changes by 4 p.m. today on his voicemail at 508-384-5427 and on the Wrentham home page and on Wrentham Cable 8. Public safety officials are taking no chances, though. City workers in Providence were stocking sandbags and checking storm drains on Thursday. Providence officials were advising residents to take precautionary measures, such as stocking up on canned food, avoiding downed power lines and moving any outdoor furniture inside. Officials are also monitoring areas prone to flooding. In North Attleboro, Fire Chief Peter Lamb said Thursday the Falls Pond Dam was opened slightly on Wednesday to allow it to hold additional water and deter flooding. Lamb also has his department fully staffed for the weekend. "As the fire chief and emergency management director, I have to bet that something is going to go wrong," Lamb said. Hanna is expected to head north by late tonight, when the center of the storm will be near the southeast coast of the United States, according to the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center. Forecasters said Hanna could reach minimal hurricane strength today before reaching the coast. Hanna is striking even as the Gulf Coast recovers from Hurricane Gustav, which hit Monday. Forecasters also are keeping an eye on Hurricane Ike and Tropical Storm Josephine. North Attleboro's Lamb and Mansfield Fire Chief Neal Boldrighini are among the area officials monitoring Hanna several times a day. "You prepare for the worst and hope for the best. That's how you work every single day," Boldrighini said. Boldrighini said his crews' daily equipment check has paid "special attention to things that may be out of the ordinary," such as a buzzsaw. Lamb said he expects to have a "really good sense" of Hanna's potential impact today. "I think we really need to get down to that 36-hour (period)," Lamb said. Hospitals are preparing for the storm, as well. Caritas Norwood Hospital Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Mike Flanagan said he has e-mailed all employees about Hanna. Department heads have posted that alert. Caritas already had planned to increase its staff due to the New England Patriots' home opener at Gillette Stadium Sunday, Flanagan said. A home preparedness guide the hospital developed last year is available to all employees and the public, he added. Although Hanna is not expected to be a hurricane by the time it reaches New England, the Emergency Care Center offers these hurricane safety tips: Secure your home. Close storm shutters, secure outdoor objects or bring them indoors. Locate the safest areas in your home or in your community for each hurricane hazard, and determine escape routes from your home and places to meet. Frequently listen to radio and TV broadcasts for official bulletins of the storm's progress. Stock several days' supply of water and food for each household member. Post emergency numbers by your phones and pre-load emergency numbers into your cell phone. MICHAEL GELBWASSER can be reached at 508-236-0439 or at mgelbwasser@thesunchronicle.com.