Central Mass. braces, bolsters for potentially 'historic' blizzard
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(UPDATED at 1:05 p.m.) With weather forecasters predicting snowfall of more than two feet, along with gale-force winds, over the next two days for Central and Eastern Massachusetts, utilities and local officials are preparing for possible power outages and downed trees.
Gov. Charlie Baker has declared a state of emergency and announced plans to impose a statewide travel ban for all non-emergency vehicles starting at midnight Monday.
National Grid, which provides electricity to much of Central Massachusetts, said it has pre-arranged the services of more than 1,200 staff and contractors, and made plans to staff six equipment and personnel-staging areas throughout the region.
“This storm has the potential to cause severe damage to the electric system,” said Dan Bunszell, National Grid’s vice president of New England operations. “If the storm turns out to be as severe as the meteorologists are predicting, it could take several days to restore power to all of our customers.”
Meanwhile, officials in Worcester said they have been in contact with officials at local schools and colleges, as well as the National Weather Service. A statement from the city manager’s office said the city has taken the following steps for the storm:
- Worcester’s 911 center will be staffed with additional personnel;
- On Monday, the city expects to activate its emergency operations center to coordinate the city’s response across all city departments;
- Department of Public Works salt trucks will pre-treat the city’s main arteries as soon as the first flakes fall, which is expected Monday night. When plowing operations begin, Worcester will have a full complement of 350 to 400 pieces of equipment to plow, treat and sand 500 miles of public streets;
- The city will periodically update the media and the public throughout the storm and cleanup. Residents and business can get updates from the city’s Facebook page (facebook.com/worcestermsassachusettsofficial) and Twitter (@tweetworcester); and
- Emergency information will also be put out through the city’s ALERTWorcester system, a free service that residents can sign up for at the Division of Emergency Management’s website: http://www.worcesterma.gov/emergency-communications/emergency-management.
The pending storm has already affected air travel. All flights into and out of Logan International Airport will be canceled as of 7:30 p.m. tonight, according to BostonGlobe.com.
On its Twitter account, Massport, which runs Logan as well as Worcester Regional Airport and Hanscom Field in Bedford, urged air travelers to call their airlines in advance and give themselves extra time if they’re flying today.
“With a storm of this magnitude, it’s our goal to keep everyone safe and to keep ahead of the storm,” said Ed Freni, Massport’s chief of aviation.
(Material from State House News Service was used in this report.)
(Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
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