GRAFTON (CBS) – Even though Hurricane Irene may not hit your area directly, residents still need to prepare their home for the storm.

“Gutters are going to overflow. Basements are going to flood,” said Ray Mead, Grafton’s Emergency Management Director. “There’s going to be trees and power outages, all types of damage.”

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Mead said there are a lot of little things people can do to protect their home before the hurricane hits:

• Board up any big windows
• Bring in all lawn furniture, including toys, bar stools, potted plants
• Put cars in the garage, if possible
• Buy flashlights, batteries, and bottled water

WBZ-TV’s Paul Burton reports.

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One of the most important things people forget to do is to clean out their gutters, and this can cause a lot of water damage. And it only takes a few moment to get a ladder and clean out all debris stuck inside.

As far as inside goes, get your basement ready for any potential flooding. Check your sump pump to make sure it’s working.

N-Star is already predicting 100,000 customers will lose power this weekend.