Hello to all…
***EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS ARES SECURED FROM ALL OPERATIONS AS OF 18:00 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28***
***PLEASE SEND AFTER ACTION COMMENTS TO YOUR EC OR DEC***
***SKYWARN ACTIVATION POSSIBLE NEXT 24-48 HOURS FOR UPCOMING STORM SYSTEM – SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS***
The following is the final sit-rep to update the ARES activities that have been taking place in the Eastern Massachusetts section barring any significant changes to the incident. After supporting the American Red Cross Northeast Massachusetts chapter on Saturday, no requests for support were received on Sunday. Power outages across Massachusetts have been reduced to below 2,000 total affected customers from National Grid, again most centered on the North Shore area. Therefore, we will allow Eastern Massachusetts ARES to stand down effective 18:00 this evening. In the unlikely event additional support requests are received, local activations may take place but the threat for a wide-scale ARES operation has now passed.
A significant number of power outages remain in NH (approximately 87,000) even with approximately 2/3 of customers restored, however we have not received any support requests from our New Hampshire ARES neighbors. Eastern MA ARES staff will continue to closely monitor the situation in the event an ARES-MAT request does come through, however this is also considered unlikely and we wish our friends to the north a rapid recovery from the storm as well.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every ARES operator who volunteered their availability in the event additional support was requested or required. Remember, it takes a team of operators to make Eastern MA ARES the success that it has become – no one individual can take the reins alone. All of your support is tremendously appreciated.
If you have any damage pictures from this event, please send them along to your EC or DEC or directly to myself (kb1kqw@nsradio.org) for use by Emergency Management and National Weather Service officials, along with an upcoming SKYWARN recap video that will incorporate this storm. All pictures are helpful and we thank you in advance for sending them along.
Please send any after-action comments that you may have to your DEC or local EC who will relay this information to Eric-KA1NCF and myself, and all comments will be reviewed by EMA ARES staff at an upcoming meeting. All feedback is appreciated, either negative or positive, and will be used to refine our future operations.
Looking towards the future, a storm system will affect portions of the region with some winter weather, strong winds, and a potential for coastal flooding along the Eastern Massachusetts coast. SKYWARN activation of some form is possible over the next 24-48 hours, so please stay tuned to your email for any potential activation messages. The following statements have been issued:
Winter Weather Advisory (Essex County): http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html
Coastal Flood Watch (Eastern MA Coast): http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.whus41.KBOX.html
Wind Advisory (Cape and Islands): http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus71.KBOX.html
Flood Warnings (Continued): http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wgus81.KBOX.html
Again, a heartfelt thanks to everyone for either deploying or standing ready to deploy. It has been a pleasure to work with all of you and thanks for your continued support of Eastern Massachusetts ARES!
Respectfully Submitted,
Jim Palmer – KB1KQW
Eastern Massachusetts Asst. Section Emergency Coordinator
North-side Operations
Carl Aveni – N1FY
Eastern Massachusetts Asst. Section Emergency Coordinator
South-side Operations