Canton Prepares for Hurricane Irene

, Canton is ready for you.

The town's Emergency Management Department met Friday to discuss the pending hurricane and plans are in place to deal with the storm, according to .

"Reports are that Canton will receive strong winds and a moderate amount of precipitation," Johnson said. 

Canton is expecting to be hit by a Category 1 hurricane, but preparing for the worst-case-scenario of a Category 2 hurricane, the deputy said.

"We continue to monitor the storm and it appears it will be farther west from us than originally predicted," Johnson said. 

Several departments will have extra manpower on standby, including the Canton Fire, police and DPW. The Emergency Management team "will bring them in as needed," he noted.

There are no emergency shelters in Canton opened at this time, however, the town is prepared to open one "should the need arise as we monitor the storm," the deputy chief said. 

Seniors in Canton are also being taken care of.

"Senior Housing officials are working with their residents to make sure they are safe," the fire deputy said.

is urging folks to get a jump start on preparations for Irene. Get your emergency supplies and gear early.

"We advise everyone to have their preparation for this storm done by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday," Johnson said. 

Residents can stay tuned for updates from town officials.

"The Governor has declared a State of Emergency and we are having informational conference calls on a regular basis with the  Massachusetts Emergency Management Office on the status of the hurricane," he noted.

If anyone in Canton loses power or needs to report wires down they can call NSTAR at 1-800-592-2000, he noted. 

For more hurricane preparation information, go to the MEMA website at www.mass.gov/mema