COLUMBIA RIVER - The instructors, crew and students of the National Motor Lifeboat School, Ilwaco, Wash., practice at the entrance of the Columbia River Bar on Feb. 08, 2011. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jamie Thielen.

Coast Guard Readies For Winter Storm Grayson

Coast Guard units across the Northeast are gearing up as a powerful winter storm with damaging winds, snowfall, and potential for coastal flooding is expected to impact our area Thursday.

The Boston-based 270-foot Coast Guard Cutter Seneca, will stage offshore to provide search and rescue coverage if needed, and shore based units are standing ready to deploy if necessary.

As conditions deteriorate overnight, heavy winds, snow and freezing spray put vessels at risk of sinking at their anchorage points or pier due to the ice and accumulation of snow. For information on how to prepare your boat or trailer for a storm, please visit http://www.uscg.mil/news/stormcenter/.


Ice-breaking assets will seek safe haven from the winter storm, but will deploy following after as part of Operation Reliable Energy for Northeast Winters (RENEW), the Coast Guard’s region-wide effort to ensure Northeast communities have the security, supplies, energy, and emergency resources they need throughout the winter.