By Bonnie Adams, Government Editor
Region – No one who experienced last year's Hurricane Irene or the late October nor'saster will forget what it was like to be without power, heat and all the other conveniences of our modern lives. Now it appears Mother Nature is sending an anniversary gift of sorts to the region – Tropical Storm Sandy – which is projected to hit early next week, almost to the day of when last year's Oct. storm slammed into central Massachusetts.
Although still days away, state and local officials are keeping a wary eye on Sandy, which is now a Category 2 storm in Cuba.
Westborough was hit particularly hard last October when much of the town lost power for nearly a week. The town has recently installed an AM Emergency Radio Notification system, which will be utilized during the storm, Police Chief Alan Gordon said. Residents can turn into 1610 AM to get updates on the approaching storm.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is advising residents throughout the commonwealth to be pro-active over the next few days. In addition to the normal tips of ensuring that you and your family have provisions, MEMA also recommends trimming back trees and shrubbery around your home and clearing clogged rain gutters to minimize damage to your home from the storm.
MEMA offers a free “ping4alert!” app that you can download to your Smartphone to receive weather alerts and messages. Go to www.mass.gov/mema/mobileappp for download instructions.
Other websites with important information include:
The main MEMA website – ?http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/
National Weather Service (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) – ?www.weather.gov
National Weather Service (National Hurricane Center) ?- www.nhc.noaa.gov
These agencies have Facebook and Twitter updates as well.