WESTFIELD – Local officials are preparing for a major weather event that some forecasters are calling a perfect storm, as it is influenced by other weather patterns expected to push it into the east coast somewhere between Washington D.C. and Boston.
Local residents who dealt with three major weather events in 2011, the June 1 tornado, Tropical Storm Irene and the Halloween snow storm, may be more inclined to define the perfect storm as one that goes someplace other than western Massachusetts and New England in general.
Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall Monday along the east coast, fashionablly late for a hurricane to batter the mid-Atlantic and New England States. The storm is expected to create high winds which could cause significant damage to trees, especially further south, which are still in full foliage. The storm is expended to dump inches of rain along its track and may bring heavy snow to some higher elevations as it collides with an arctic front coming in from the Midwest.
The high winds are expected to cause extensive power outages, while the heavy rain will result in flooding.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said Friday afternoon the weather events of 2011 are helping the city to proactively prepare for Sandy because of lessons learned during the responses to the preview storms.
“The Department of Public Works already has crews out cleaning catch basins and storm drains to minimize street flooding,” Knapik said. “Residents can help by getting leaves out of the street in front of their home to keep the water moving.”
Knapik said the city has continued to improve its flood control system, replacing pumps.
“We’ve been checking out the levees and testing the flood control system where we have upgraded facilities and pumps,” Knapik said. The Water Department has acquired five trailer-mounted generators that we can move around the city as needed. This will also be the first ‘all hands on deck’ event for the emergency communications dispatch department.”
Westfield Emergency Management Director Jim Wiggs said the city is preparing to respond to Sandy.
“This one could get interesting depending on how it tracks,” Wiggs said. “This could be close to Irene, but it’s still early to know for sure, so we’re doing all of the normal stuff in terms of public safety to be ready to respond.”
“We’re organizing supplies and loading trailers with shelter items in the event we have to assist the community,” Wiggs said. “I requested the School Department to test the generators at schools we might have to use to open a shelter and they did that Friday morning.”
“We’ll swing into a full response when we see this become an actual threat, but we’re ready,” he said. “We looked at what we did last year, what we could have done better and what we did well and built upon that.”
“One of the biggest things we have to do better is communicate with the citizens,” Wiggs said. “Residents can use the 211 telephone system, which is manned by the United Way, to get information from us through MEMA (the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency), from newspapers, radio and television. Residents should not use the 911 system for questions.”
Wiggs said that residents should also prepare for the storm by taking steps before Sandy hits the eastern coast.
Fuel vehicles, fuel and test generators, fill propane tanks in case you have to cook without electrical power, test flashlight and batteries, visit your ATM, and get a stock of water and nonperishable foodstuffs. Charge cell phones and other electronics before the storm.
Residents in flood prone areas should prepare a “go bag” in the event they need to evacuate their homes with medication, personal documents, a week’s worth of diapers and baby formula for families with infants, some form of entertainment for older children who may have an extended stay in a shelter, as well as clothing and toiletries.
Knapik said the city has opened communication with MEMA and the National Weather Service to track the storm and prepare the city’s response to Sandy.
