Preparing for Earl

Here comes Earl. Or part of him, at least.

The powerful hurricane that struck the North Carolina coast Thursday night is expected to spread less severe tropical storm-force winds and several inches of rain across the region tonight.

On Thursday, residents, businesses and officials across the region continued to make preparations for the storm. Area school systems either canceled today's classes or announced early dismissals while towns prepared to open their emergency operations centers and shelters.

Officials and emergency personnel in each community have met to review their procedures, and marinas have secured boats or removed them from the water.

Westerly officials announced Thursday that swimming will be banned today at all beaches in town, something that may upset local surfers brave enough to tackle what could be some of the biggest waves in recent years. Misquamicut State Beach and the Westerly town beaches will be closed as well.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced that campers in seven state parks in eastern Connecticut will have to leave this morning as a precaution.

At Mystic Seaport Thursday, spokesman Michael O'Farrell said crews had attached additional lines to boats such as the schooner L.A. Dunton, removed smaller vessels from the water and made sure that anything at the 18-acre museum that could become airborne was secured.

"We're literally battening down the hatches," he said.

At Ocean Beach Park in New London, workers were busy pulling garbage cans off the beach and flipping over picnic tables and portable lifeguard stands. The top of the merry-go-round on the boardwalk was also taken down as a precaution.

But securing loose equipment was only half the battle for venues such as Mystic Seaport and Ocean Beach.

With sunny weather predicted for the long holiday weekend, both attractions need to have things back in place for visitors on Saturday.

"We've got to get everything back up and running right away,'' said Ocean Beach Park Manager Dave Sugrue. "It's supposed to be a beautiful weekend."

O'Farrell said that with its Fish and Ships food festival this weekend, Mystic Seaport could attract as many 8,000 people, something that would help boost attendance.

"Anytime we lose a Saturday it's bad, but it's really important on the last weekend of the summer," he said.

O'Farrell said the museum has to balance its responsibility to protect its boats and artifacts with the need to open for visitors at 9 a.m. Saturday morning.

"It's seems like the timing of this is the best possible scenario," he said.

In Stonington, which sustained severe damage during the flooding in March, First Selectman Ed Haberek said the town will open its emergency operations center at 1 p.m today. Highway Department crews continued filling 3,000 sandbags, 1,000 of which will go to shore up the Pawcatuck dike and the rest to the fire departments.

As in other area towns, extra police officers and highway department workers are ready to report if needed.

The seven state park campgrounds that will be closed from noon today until noon Saturday are Hammonasset in Madison, Rocky Neck in East Lyme, Hopeville Pond in Griswold, Devil's Hopyard in East Haddam, Salt Rock Campground in Sprague and Mount Misery and Green Falls campgrounds in the Pachaug State Forest in Voluntown. Updated information on the closings can be found at www.ct.gov/dep.

"We know that many families are looking forward to marking the end of summer by camping at one of our state parks over the Labor Day weekend," Rell said. "Given the latest information available on the predicted path and intensity of this storm, however, we believe it makes sense to close the campgrounds where the impact from Hurricane Earl is expected to be the most severe."

In Montville, where crews filled sandbags and cleared debris from catch basins on Thursday, Department of Public Works Director Donald Bourdeau Jr. said there's only so much that can be done, adding that damage depends on the amount of rain that falls.

"The difference between two and four inches is big when it comes to storms," Bourdeau said.

For more information on the storm such as school closings and early dismissals, ferry cancelations and shelter openings, go to www.theday.com.

Day staff writers Megan Bard, Kathleen Edgecomb and Jenna Cho contributed to this report.