nor’easter

Loans Available to Help Those in Winthrop Recover from March Nor’easter

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Town of Winthrop
Terence Delehanty, Town Manager
Winthrop Town Hall
1 Metcalf Square
Winthrop, MA 02152

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Loans Available to Help Those in Winthrop Recover from March Nor’easter

WINTHROP — Chief Terence M. Delehanty announces that loans are available to Winthrop citizens affected by a March nor’easter this past winter.

Gov. Charlie Baker requested and secured a disaster declaration for six counties from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including Suffolk County. Businesses, nonprofit organizations and individuals are now able to take out low-interest disaster relief loans provided by the federal government in order to repair damages done by the nor’easter on March 2-3, which caused more than $20 million worth of damage in Massachusetts.

Businesses and nonprofits are able to borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace real estate, equipment, inventory, and other assets. Interest rates as low as 3.58 percent are available for businesses and 2.5 percent for nonprofits.

Homeowners and renters can seek loans of up to $200,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed residences. Interest rates can be as low as 1.813 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years.

For more information or to apply for relief, visit the U.S. Small Business Administration online, call SBA’s customer service center at 800-659-2955 or send the organization an email.

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Canton Fire Department Advises Residents Ahead of Fourth Nor’easter This Month

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Canton Fire Department
Chief Charles E. Doody
99 Revere St.
Canton, MA 02021

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Canton Fire Department Advises Residents Ahead of Fourth Nor’easter This Month

CANTON — Chief Charles E. Doody would like to advise Canton residents about another nor’easter coming to the region on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol counties, which will be in effect from  8 a.m. Wednesday until 8 a.m. Thursday. Snowfall is expected to begin after 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Canton could see between 9 to 15 inches of accumulation, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures during the storm are expected to be between 39 and 31 degrees. Wind gusts could reach speeds of up to 38 mph.

Travel is expected to be very difficult at times with significant reductions in visibility. As with the other recent storms, town officials are asking residents to stay off the roads during the storm.

BEFORE THE STORM

  • Residents should be prepared for power outages and stock up on batteries for flashlights or battery powered lanterns. If using candles, there should be a 3 foot ring of safety and be sure to keep them away from anything flammable or combustible.
  • Keep cell phones, laptops and tablets charged as much as possible. Consider a external battery for your devices.
  • Neighbors should talk with one another and set up plans to assist those who may be at risk and/or in need of help.

DURING THE STORM

  • Stay off the roads and stay indoors, if possible. Give plow and sand/salt trucks the space they need to operate.
  • If power goes out during the storm, contact Eversource at 800-592-2000 to report an outage. Residents can also call 211 or go online to mass211.org for more information on available shelters and warming centers in the event of an outage.
  • To report a gas leak, call 911. Residents can also contact Columbia Gas at 800-525-8222 for gas-related issues.
  • If you have an emergency, call 911. If you experience flooding in your home contact the Canton Fire Department at 781-828-1313.

AFTER THE STORM

  • Do not go near or drive over any downed power lines.
  • Clear snow from any gas vents attached to your home.
  • Assist the fire department by shoveling out any hydrants near your home.
  • Check your property for any trees that could be in danger of falling near your home or vehicles.
  • As the snow begins to melt, clear any debris from storm drains near your home to allow water to drain.
  • Do not pump water from sump pumps into the road. The water can freeze and cause hazardous conditions if the temperature dips.

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City of Gloucester Conducting Early Damage Assessments Following Winter Storm Riley

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City of Gloucester Conducting Early Damage Assessments Following Winter Storm Riley

GLOUCESTER — Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken and Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director Eric Smith announce that the City of Gloucester has begun collecting reports on coastal storm damage caused by Winter Storm Riley earlier this month.

The City of Gloucester is providing a new survey and reporting tool on the city’s website at www.Gloucester-MA.gov/storm. Residents and business owners are encouraged to submit their own property damage assessments and can do so online by clicking here.

The Primary Damage Assessment (PDA) will be conducted in cooperation with the Federal and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agencies (FEMA/MEMA). Residents, business owners and homeowners will have the opportunity to complete a survey of property damage caused by the nor’easter on March 2-4.

“Primary Damage Assessments must account for all losses in our community including public property and individual or private property, such as homes and businesses,” Fire Chief/EMD Smith said. “Having a comprehensive inventory of storm damage will be critical for the city as we look toward securing Federal Disaster Aid to alleviate some of the cost.”

Winter Storm Riley caused extreme winds, rain, storm surges and flooding in Gloucester, and city officials are working aggressively to calculate the extent of the damage to both public and privately owned properties.

Anyone whose property was impacted by the storm should fill out a PDA form online by clicking here or download and print a paper version.

Paper forms may also be obtained at City Hall, and should be submitted directly to the Mayor’s office either in person or by mailing it to:

City Hall

Office of the Mayor

Attention: Storm

9 Dale Ave.

Gloucester, MA 01930

“We are grateful for the dedication that Gloucester’s emergency teams continue to provide in offering assistance for on-going coastal recovery efforts,” said Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken. “Winter Storm Riley created damage for businesses and citizens alike so this self-reporting tool will help us centralize damage assessments needed for state and federal disaster aid programs. We are asking everyone in Gloucester to help report this information online using an easy survey system  but hard-copies will be available, too.”

Even after completing the PDA, residents and business owners should plan on maintaining extensive records of any damage to their property.

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*Night Update* Bristol, Plymouth, Norfolk County Police and Fire Chiefs Provide Update on Today’s Nor’easter

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For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

*Joint Release*

Bristol, Plymouth Norfolk County Police and Fire Chiefs Provide Update on Today’s Nor’easter

Police and fire chiefs from Attleboro, Bridgewater, Canton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Holbrook, Randolph, Raynham, Taunton and Whitman would like to provide residents with an evening update on where the communities stand regarding today’s storm since the update from this afternoon.

Please note that some communities have opened up warming shelters.

Snow has steadily been falling throughout the day and the blizzard warning issued by the National Weather Service was scheduled to end at 8 p.m. Snowfall is expected to be done in the region between midnight and 2 a.m. Wednesday.

As of 8 p.m., there were about 191,000 residents in the state without power, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) outage map.

Now that it is dark, residents are still urged to stay off the roads as some areas are experiencing near-whiteout conditions.

Anyone who has an emergency should call 911.

ATTLEBORO

Fire Chief Scott. T. Lachance reports that there were about 2,000 residents without power as of 7 p.m. National Grid crews were in the city working to restore electricity.

A warming station will is open at the South Attleboro fire station, 1476 South Ave. Use the shelter to charge cell phones and electronic devices and to stay warm if you are without power. Anyone with questions about the warming station can call the Attleboro Fire Department at 508-222-2325.

While there have been multiple trees and wires down, almost all roads in Attleboro are currently open.

BRIDGEWATER

Police Chief Christopher Delmonte reports that the police department responded to approximately 50 storm-related calls beginning at 8 a.m. today. The fire department also responded to a similar number of calls.

As of 7:30 p.m. there were 687 residents without power. At the height of the storm the town had over 3,000 outages.

CANTON

Fire Chief Charles Doody reports that Canton had about 25 power outages as of 7:30 p.m.

In total, the fire department responded to 10 calls for service throughout the day.

EAST BRIDGEWATER

Police Chief Scott Allen and Fire Chief Timothy Harhen report that the police and fire departments responded to nearly 60 calls for service in relation to the storm beginning at 7:30 a.m. today.

Most of the calls were for road hazards, such as fallen trees and wires. The fire department provided mutual aid to West Bridgewater for a structure fire this afternoon and went to another call for burned food.

National Grid was in town actively working to restore about 618 outages as of 7:30 p.m. Please note, there is a power outage at the end of Central Street near the Hanson line that may not have power by the morning. Crews are working to make repairs.

Residents needing shelter for the night can go to a Red Cross regional shelter at the First Congregational Church at 254 Main St. in Plympton or the Plymouth North High School at 41 Obery St. in Plymouth.

While all roads are currently open and passable in town, residents are warned to use extreme caution and only drive if it is absolutely necessary.

EASTON

Fire Chief Kevin Partridge and Police Chief Gary Sullivan report that progress is being made in trying to get the number of power outages in Easton down. As of 5:40 p.m. there were about 1,900 residents without power. By 7:30 p.m that number was down to 866. National Grid has more than a dozen crews working in town.

The warming center at the Richardson-Olmsted Elementary School, 101 Lothrop St., will be open until 10 p.m. tonight. For details about the warming center or if you are in need of assistance, call the Easton Fire Department at 508-230-3311.

There were still a dozen streets in town that were closed because of road hazards as of 7:30 p.m.

HOLBROOK

Police Chief William Smith reports that Holbrook had three car crashes throughout the day — two where drivers collided with plow trucks and another where a driver struck a utility pole. None of the crashes resulted in serious injury.

As of 7:30 p.m. there were about 35 residents without power, according the MEMA outage map.

RANDOLPH

Police Chief William Pace reports as of 7:30 p.m. only about 160 residents in town did not have electricity. Crews were working to make repairs.

Most of the calls for service that the police department responded to were for fallen trees and downed wires.

RAYNHAM

Police Chief James Donovan reports that the police department responded to three crashes throughout the day, including one where a driver collided with a plow truck on Route 138. None of the crashes resulted in serious injury.

Chief Donovan says that if residents must drive, they should be aware that the road surfaces are inconsistent and uneven and to use caution. He also warns that wind and snow drifts have cause some stop signs and traffic lights to be covered with snow.

Fire Chief James Januse reports that Raynham still has a small amount of scattered power outages throughout town. There are four roads in Raynham that are currently blocked with fallen trees and wires.

In total, the police department responded to 58 calls for service and the fire department went to 26 calls as of 7:30 p.m.

TAUNTON

Fire Chief Timothy Bradshaw reports that the fire department spent most of the day responding to downed trees and wires. There were also multiple crashes and a number of medical calls, some related to shoveling and snow blowing.

There are still areas without power in the city, but all issues were being addressed in a timely manner.

The fire department is currently staffing six engines and two ladders with a total of 30 firefighters tonight, which is about eight more than are on-duty than on a typical day.

WHITMAN

Fire Chief Timothy Grenno reports that the Whitman Fire Department dealt with a variety of issues throughout the day including multiple fallen utility poles, trees that fell on cars and trees blocking roads.

As of 7:30 p.m. there was about 1 percent of the town without power.

A warming center will be opening up at the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School at 9 a.m. for residents who need to utilize it.

Chief Grenno asks that residents shovel out fire hydrants that are near homes, which will help in the event of a fire.

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