Gimme Shelter

By 3 p.m. Saturday, five-year-old Steven Brien already had his backpack filled with toys and games and was eagerly awaiting his trip to the hurricane shelter.

Brien and his mother Brenda, who live at within the , were two of the first people at Saturday evening as the town's hurricane shelter opened its doors at 6 p.m. Brenda, who lived in Florida during the Category 5 Hurricane Andrew in 1992, wasn't taking any chances with this storm.

"I do look at these storms through a different prism than most Rhode Islanders," she said. "I take it very seriously."

The shelter has ample food supplies, plenty of cots and other supplies to help folks ride out the storm, says Capuano. Residents are encouraged to bring pillows, medications, games and books and sleeping bags or blankets. (The shelter, however, does provide blankets.)

No pets are allowed at the shelter. (There is a pet-friendly shelter at the University of Rhode Island's Boss Arena.)

"It's a safe environment to wait out the storm," said Red Cross volunteer Deborah Capuano, who will be joined by four other volunteers and members of the North Kingstown fire and police departments at the shelter.

Wickford Middle School opened at 6 p.m. Saturday to serve as North Kingstown's hurricane shelter. By 7 p.m., the shelter already had half a dozen residents – a figure that Capuano finds encouraging.

"They've been talking this up as a direct hit, so hopefully people will use the shelter," said Rob Meehan of the North Kingstown Fire Department.

Though things have started slow at the shelter, North Kingstown Emergency Management Director David Murray anticipates an uptick in attendance at the shelter Sunday morning when height of the storm hits Rhode Island. Heavy rainfall could be upwards of five to 10 inches. Damaging winds are also expected to result in widespread power outages, according to the National Weather Service.

"We're going to lose power somewhere along the way," said Murray.

Murray says the shelter will stay open as long necessary.

"We're going to play it by ear," said Murray. "Whether it's Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Whatever the people need."