As of Thursday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m., the National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm warning and high surf advisory for Massachusetts’ southern Bristol County, including New Bedford; and a high surf advisory for Block Island, Newport, and Washington County in Rhode Island. Massachusetts residents can go to mass.gov/MEMA for more information about the storm and how to prepare. Rhode Island residents can go to riema.ri.gov.
Luis Hernandez: You know, the hurricane is expected to make landfall in Maine and Canada over the weekend. But before it does, parts of coastal Rhode Island and Massachusetts are very vulnerable, could see heavy rain, flooding, you know, high winds. How are you preparing? How’s the agency preparing for this?
Sara Porter: Sure. Here at MEMA, we’ve been partaking in daily coordination calls which have been underway with the National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center, as well as local county and state officials. … MEMA has begun standard pre-impact planning with our Emergency Support Function partners that offer capabilities from search and rescue, to mass care debris management in the event that those response capabilities are needed for this event. And we will also be activating the State Emergency Operation Center here at MEMA headquarters in Framingham, as well as the MEMA East regional emergency operation centers in Shutesbury and Franklin at 7 a.m. on Saturday.
Luis Hernandez: Now I have to admit that, you know, I’m a guy from Florida. I’m used to this. One of the things that we learn is, when the season starts, that’s when you get your preparations done. You get everything done, then you don’t wait till the very end. But here we are, just, you know, hours before. When you’re at this point, what can they do?
Sara Porter: First and foremost, we recommend that people stay informed. And one of the best ways you can do that is by making sure that emergency alerts are enabled on your cell phone, signing up for any reverse 911 service if it’s available in your community, any of those subscription alert services, and following the National Weather Service, accounts like MEMA’s on Facebook and Twitter. Also, if you have an emergency kit, making sure that it’s stocked with a flashlight, about three days’ worth of food and water for your, per person in your family; supplies for your pets; any necessary medications; batteries for your flashlight and radio. And also making sure that you’ve prepared your home. So we are expecting some strong winds in those coastal areas. So if you have patio furniture, trash cans, things that can blow away, bringing those indoors beforehand is a smart idea.
Luis Hernandez: You’ve got a lot of people who haven’t been through this. And so I’m wondering, you know, besides having all this stuff and doing these things, I mean, what do you say to somebody who hasn’t been through this experience, as to what to expect and how to prepare mentally for what’s coming?
Sara Porter: We’ve been very fortunate in Massachusetts that we haven’t had a hurricane make landfall in the state in many years, but we cannot become complacent. We’ve seen, you know, as recently as 2012, the impacts that tropical systems can have along the coast and far inland as well – 2012, we saw those impacts from Hurricane, tropical storm Irene, in Massachusetts and the severe flooding that occurred in Western Massachusetts. So while we hope for the best, we do plan for the worst. And I think that’s something, you know, we can all do to protect ourselves.
Luis Hernandez: Sarah Porter, Public Information Officer with Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, it’s such a pleasure. Thank you so much for talking with me.
Sara Porter: Thank you.
