HYANNIS, Mass. -- Cape Cod and islands residents who recall the damage done when they were hit by Hurricane Bob's 100 mph winds in 1991 were preparing for a visit from Hurricane Earl on Thursday as a hurricane warning was issued, many of them pulling boats from the water and securing property along the beaches.

The state has alerted the National Guard and emergency plans were being implemented as the storm barreled toward the Eastern Seaboard with winds swirling at around 145 mph.

On Nantucket, many island visitors were trying to book early ferries to get off the island as soon as they could. There were at least three weddings planned for the island and some couples were scrambling to change plans for their ceremonies.

The town manager Gregg Tivnan said the community was preparing for the worst as Nantucket could experience 100 mph winds. An emergency shelter was opened at the local high school, while all public beaches were closed on Thursday in advance of the storm because some of the main effects of the storm were expected to be high surf, treacherous rip tides, rain and heavy wind.

First responders on Cape Cod were also preparing, saying that Earl does not need to be a Category 4 storm to create real problems.

"We're checking fuel levels in all the trucks, all the equipment, testing all the equipment, making sure we have the chainsaws and saws ready," said Barnstable Fire Lt. Richard Ogonowsky on Cape Cod.

He said past storms have kept his crews busy with a variety of calls.

"It's 30 or 40 calls of trees down or wires down and flooded cellars, mixed in with true emergencies, so to speak," Ogonowsky said.

"(The storm) happens real fast. Once it hits North Carolina, it just takes right off once it hits that cold water. It could shoot up here," one boater said as he worked to pull his boat.

"You don't want to fool around with it. Once you see it once, it's scary stuff," said another.

In Harwich, Labor Day is the time when many boat owners begin to pull their craft from the water anyway, and the storm only accelerated the process.

Homeowners with beachfront property were worried about losing their houses to severe beach erosion.

"Whether it'll go in the next storm is a hard call, but it's certainly within the realm of possibility," said one resident whose home is only feet from the water.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, or MEMA, partially activated emergency bunkers and identified resources that were put into position ahead of time as communities that may be affected were identified.

Gov. Deval Patrick warned residents to take extra precautions during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

"Rip tides, high surf, will be a challenge and, frankly, a threat for some. People should be very, very cautious," Patrick said.

There were no plans for mass evacuations ahead of the storm and because of the holiday weekend, extra state police patrols were already scheduled.

"There are some communities that are going to be impacted more than others, and it's going to be necessary for those folks to leave because of flooding or closed roads, those sorts of things. But the reality of it, we're not going to see large-scale evacuations like you tend to see down in Florida or Texas where, literally, you put a million people on the road," MEMA Director Peter Judge said.

The state did close commonwealth campgrounds and most Boston-area pools were also being closed in advance of the storm.

"It is unfortunate that this storm is predicted for the last holiday weekend of the summer recreation season," said DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. "We hope campers, beachgoers and other park visitors will understand that the closing of campgrounds, swimming pools and beaches is meant first and foremost to keep them safe and protect them from injury due to the severe weather."

DCR engineers were also inspecting pump stations, drainage culverts and storm drains along DCR roadways to ensure adequate drainage flow and minimize flooding.

In anticipation of a potentially severe storm, National Grid said it has developed early response plans in the event of power outages.

"Based on the forecasts we've seen so far, we have begun to hold daily calls for updates and planning," said Chris Root, National Grid senior vice president of operations. "This will allow us to get an early start if we have customers out of service while avoiding the hazards of having to move large numbers of people in what might be treacherous conditions."