The New England saying, “Wait five minutes and the weather will change,” goes doubly so for hurricanes. Hurricane Bill is a Category 4 storm, one that could pack a devastating wallop if it makes landfall at that strength.
New England emergency managers definitely have Bill in their sights. Right now, the storm is on a five-day track that includes Massachusetts. So the Bay State is not out of the woods yet, “but it’s something we can deal with if we are the edges of this storm,” says Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
On Wednesday afternoon, Massachusetts plans to participate in a region-wide emergency managers telephone conference. A hurricane or tropical storm has the potential to affect everything that goes on in the region starting with potential evacuation routes. “When Rhode Island sneezes, Vermont gets a cold,” Judge says.
“Essentially, we just want to make sure a) that we hear the same story from the National Weather Service and b) that we are continuing to talk to each other to make sure we are all on the same page,” Judge adds. “If we anticipate any shortfalls or any [other] issues. Now is the time to resolve them.”
Bill is “hopefully is a good exercise,” for municipalities, says Judge. Local communities should begin inventory supplies like sandbags and cots for emergency shelters. Heavy equipment also should be tracked down.
“Now is the time to make those phone calls, whether it’s getting assets or letting folks know that they should anticipate a phone call [from state officials and the Weather Service] if things don’t go well,” says Judge.
It’s hard to say what shape Hurricane Bill might arrive in. The colder northern Atlantic waters will influence the storm, but Bill could also pick up speed as it nears the eastern seaboard. Under the best case scenario for Massachusetts, high seas mean beach erosion at a minimum, particularly with astronomically high tides factored in. Boaters and swimmers will have to pay attention to local forecasts.
“It’s certainly days out, if in fact we have to deal with something,” Judge says. “But certainly it’s never too early to prepare for it.”
The challenges emergency managers face from hurricanes and other natural threats are described in the Summer 2006 CommonWealth article “Flirting with Disaster.”
