By noon today, state public safety and utility crews will be braced for action as Hurricane Irene is expected to begin to pound the state with heavy rain and powerful winds. Late last night, President Obama declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local responses to the storm.
Gov. Deval L. Patrick yesterday declared a state of emergency to last through the weekend. The governor said more than 30 state and federal agencies, as well as local emergency management and public safety officials, have been coordinating preparation for — and response to — the storm for the past three days. He urged residents to be prepared and to stay indoors and off the roads for their safety and to allow emergency workers to do their jobs.
“Hurricane Irene is projected to be a powerful and potentially dangerous storm that will have a significant impact on us here in Massachusetts,” the governor said during a briefing at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency bunker in Framingham yesterday.
“We're hoping for the best but we are planning for the worst,” the governor said, adding that he has spoken with President Barack Obama.
About 2,500 members of the Massachusetts National Guard have been deployed and state police troopers have been asked to be ready to respond. Shelters throughout the state have been supplied, public utilities have activated storm preparation contingency plans, debris clearance teams have been mobilized, and search-and-rescue teams are on standby, the governor said.
All state reservoirs have been drawn down to create additional capacity to store the rainfall. The Carroll Water Treatment Plant in Marlboro has been isolated from the grid and put on backup generators to guarantee the delivery of potable water in the MWRA system. The six-year-old plant treats water from the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs in Worcester County to provide drinking water for 2.3 million people in 44 cities and towns.
Tim Dugan, spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the 11 dams in the state, including about five in Worcester County, are in good shape. He said employees will be at the dams at critical periods to decide whether to open any dam to help reduce water in the system. Some rivers are expected to reach flood warning or flood stages. He advised residents to monitor the news and the National Weather Service's website, www.weather.gov/boston. If evacuations are required, residents will be notified by local emergency management and public safety officials, he said.
In Worcester yesterday, water was released from Indian Lake and Coes Pond to make room for the expected heavy rain — something done only in extreme situations, according to Public Works Commissioner Robert L. Moylan Jr. He said city workers have been preparing for Irene for days.
Matthew Labovites, assistant commissioner of operations for Worcester's DPW, said officials initially were more concerned about flooding than wind damage. But as the storm track is defined more accurately, it appears there will be more of a wind event than a rain event.
“If it's to our west, the wind impact will be more severe than the rain impact,” he said. “We're trying to be prepared for rain, flooding and wires down and tree branch debris issues.”
Meanwhile, boat owners and marinas scrambled yesterday to get boats out of the water before the storm hits. Susan York-Duquette, president of Lakeview Marine Inc., a Webster Lake marina since the 1950s, said if winds are sustained at 75 miles per hour, it will put a strain on their docks and boats. Workers hauled 50 to 60 boats from the water. About three-quarters of their customers elected to secure their boats and keep them in the water.
“The ones that are staying in the water, we have checked the lines and the bumpers,” Ms. York-Duquette said. “We've secured our docks. We have three main pieces of dock that make up our marina and we've tied them off to shore and made sure that they were going to stay in place and be secure.”
She said customers who decided to keep their boats in the water had bought new dock lines and fenders. Indian Ranch, a Webster Lake campground and concert site, told customers with boats in the water to pull them out, she said.
Lakeview Marine has several customers at the ranch, and so their workers have been busy pulling those boats out as well, she said.
A good portion of Lakeview's customers have pontoon, party-style boats, which don't fill with water and sink, but the wind is still a concern, she said. Workers have picked up loose items around the yard and cleaned everything so that nothing goes flying, she said.
Campgrounds throughout the state will be evacuated by noon today and are expected to re-open Tuesday. State public transportation is expected to operate on a normal schedule.
People who have flights scheduled for today or tomorrow should check with their airlines, the governor said.
Richard P. Walsh, spokesperson for MassPort, said Logan Airport will remain open, but there will undoubtedly be disruptions in service.
Direct Air, which provides service from Worcester Regional Airport to Florida, Myrtle Beach and other destinations, will operate a normal schedule today. Tomorrow's operations will be postponed until Monday, he said. Direct Air passengers should monitor the airline's services at www.visitdirectair.com.
The governor advised the public to make sure they have emergency supplies including food, water, flashlights, batteries and medication on hand. He also suggested that people check on their elderly and vulnerable neighbors to make sure that they are safe and secure.
As with other states along the East Coast, Massachusetts was expected to make a pre-landfall disaster declaration. The declaration would allow the state to expedite federal resources to meet critical requirements before and after the onset of the storm.
At Westover Air Base in Chicopee, officials at the base said they were evacuating its fleet of 18 mammoth C-5 transport planes to Air Force bases in Florida and Ohio.
In Spencer, selectmen have declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Irene. The move will allow the town to be eligible for state and federal funding if it is available in the event of extreme damage.
Fire Chief Robert Parsons, the emergency management director, is overseeing the town's storm response. He said the declaration allows the town to bypass state procurement laws in the event they need to purchase materials or hire services quickly.
"If we need a tree guy, we can hire a tree guy without getting bids and going through the procurement process which takes time," he said.
The Associated Press and Brian Lee and Kim Ring of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this report.
Add a comment Gov. Deval L. Patrick yesterday declared a state of emergency to last through the weekend. The governor said more than 30 state and federal agencies, as well as local emergency management and public safety officials, have been coordinating preparation for — and response to — the storm for the past three days. He urged residents to be prepared and to stay indoors and off the roads for their safety and to allow emergency workers to do their jobs.
“Hurricane Irene is projected to be a powerful and potentially dangerous storm that will have a significant impact on us here in Massachusetts,” the governor said during a briefing at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency bunker in Framingham yesterday.
“We're hoping for the best but we are planning for the worst,” the governor said, adding that he has spoken with President Barack Obama.
About 2,500 members of the Massachusetts National Guard have been deployed and state police troopers have been asked to be ready to respond. Shelters throughout the state have been supplied, public utilities have activated storm preparation contingency plans, debris clearance teams have been mobilized, and search-and-rescue teams are on standby, the governor said.
All state reservoirs have been drawn down to create additional capacity to store the rainfall. The Carroll Water Treatment Plant in Marlboro has been isolated from the grid and put on backup generators to guarantee the delivery of potable water in the MWRA system. The six-year-old plant treats water from the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs in Worcester County to provide drinking water for 2.3 million people in 44 cities and towns.
Tim Dugan, spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the 11 dams in the state, including about five in Worcester County, are in good shape. He said employees will be at the dams at critical periods to decide whether to open any dam to help reduce water in the system. Some rivers are expected to reach flood warning or flood stages. He advised residents to monitor the news and the National Weather Service's website, www.weather.gov/boston. If evacuations are required, residents will be notified by local emergency management and public safety officials, he said.
In Worcester yesterday, water was released from Indian Lake and Coes Pond to make room for the expected heavy rain — something done only in extreme situations, according to Public Works Commissioner Robert L. Moylan Jr. He said city workers have been preparing for Irene for days.
Matthew Labovites, assistant commissioner of operations for Worcester's DPW, said officials initially were more concerned about flooding than wind damage. But as the storm track is defined more accurately, it appears there will be more of a wind event than a rain event.
“If it's to our west, the wind impact will be more severe than the rain impact,” he said. “We're trying to be prepared for rain, flooding and wires down and tree branch debris issues.”
Meanwhile, boat owners and marinas scrambled yesterday to get boats out of the water before the storm hits. Susan York-Duquette, president of Lakeview Marine Inc., a Webster Lake marina since the 1950s, said if winds are sustained at 75 miles per hour, it will put a strain on their docks and boats. Workers hauled 50 to 60 boats from the water. About three-quarters of their customers elected to secure their boats and keep them in the water.
“The ones that are staying in the water, we have checked the lines and the bumpers,” Ms. York-Duquette said. “We've secured our docks. We have three main pieces of dock that make up our marina and we've tied them off to shore and made sure that they were going to stay in place and be secure.”
She said customers who decided to keep their boats in the water had bought new dock lines and fenders. Indian Ranch, a Webster Lake campground and concert site, told customers with boats in the water to pull them out, she said.
Lakeview Marine has several customers at the ranch, and so their workers have been busy pulling those boats out as well, she said.
A good portion of Lakeview's customers have pontoon, party-style boats, which don't fill with water and sink, but the wind is still a concern, she said. Workers have picked up loose items around the yard and cleaned everything so that nothing goes flying, she said.
Campgrounds throughout the state will be evacuated by noon today and are expected to re-open Tuesday. State public transportation is expected to operate on a normal schedule.
People who have flights scheduled for today or tomorrow should check with their airlines, the governor said.
Richard P. Walsh, spokesperson for MassPort, said Logan Airport will remain open, but there will undoubtedly be disruptions in service.
Direct Air, which provides service from Worcester Regional Airport to Florida, Myrtle Beach and other destinations, will operate a normal schedule today. Tomorrow's operations will be postponed until Monday, he said. Direct Air passengers should monitor the airline's services at www.visitdirectair.com.
The governor advised the public to make sure they have emergency supplies including food, water, flashlights, batteries and medication on hand. He also suggested that people check on their elderly and vulnerable neighbors to make sure that they are safe and secure.
As with other states along the East Coast, Massachusetts was expected to make a pre-landfall disaster declaration. The declaration would allow the state to expedite federal resources to meet critical requirements before and after the onset of the storm.
At Westover Air Base in Chicopee, officials at the base said they were evacuating its fleet of 18 mammoth C-5 transport planes to Air Force bases in Florida and Ohio.
In Spencer, selectmen have declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Irene. The move will allow the town to be eligible for state and federal funding if it is available in the event of extreme damage.
Fire Chief Robert Parsons, the emergency management director, is overseeing the town's storm response. He said the declaration allows the town to bypass state procurement laws in the event they need to purchase materials or hire services quickly.
"If we need a tree guy, we can hire a tree guy without getting bids and going through the procurement process which takes time," he said.
The Associated Press and Brian Lee and Kim Ring of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this report.
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