Category: Nearby News

NEWBURYPORT — Mayor Donna D. Holaday and Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director Christopher LeClaire are alerting all Newburyport residents about the dangers of the forecasted Tropical Storm Henri, expected to strengthen to a hurricane and strike New England on Sunday evening.

“The City of Newburyport is taking all precautions as Henri looks to make landfall somewhere in New England in the next few days,” Mayor Holaday said. “We urge everyone to read and follow the guidance from the experts to keep you and your family safe during this dangerous storm.”

Residents are asked to be alert and prepare to take the necessary safety precautions. Residents should prepare for the possibility of utility disruptions, including power and possible water/sewer disruption during the storm. Plum Island residents, especially residents in existing problematic areas such as Reservation Terrace, will have water service suspended to prevent systemwide problems during Henri’s landfall.

It is suggested that Plum Island residents who have alternate housing, especially those in historically problematic areas, should leave the island. No evacuation orders have been issued, however.  

“We are preparing for the worst, as New England has not seen a hurricane in three decades,” Chief LeClare said. “Residents should take all necessary precautions and be prepared for the loss of power and other utility services.”

Residents should not call 911 to report a power outage. Save the 911 phone lines for life-threatening emergencies, please.

According to the National Hurricane Center, as of 5 a.m. Friday, Tropical Storm Henri is moving west-northwest over the western Atlantic and is about 780 miles south-southwest of Nantucket. 

There remains some uncertainty in the track, but models are strongly suggesting that New England may late Sunday have its first direct hurricane strike since Hurricane Bob in 1991.

Henri is forecast to intensify into a hurricane on Friday with additional strengthening predicted to occur this weekend. There is a potential for tropical storm and hurricane force winds along with rough seas. Swells from Henri are expected to reach the east coast Friday and continue through the weekend. These swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents. 

There is a Hurricane Watch in effect for parts of Southern New England, and a Storm Surge Watch for parts of the South Shore of Massachusetts. However, advisories and watches are expected to be issued for the local area. Residents are urged to stay alert and monitor the local forecast. 

Newburyport officials are receiving briefings as the situation is updated, and are staying current on storm tracks and forecasts to ensure staffing is in place to deal with any emergency that arises. Newburyport has called in additional public safety and emergency management staff.

Stay informed by receiving alerts, warnings, and public safety information before, during and after emergencies.

Safety precautions residents should follow to prepare for a hurricane or tropical storm include: 

• Don’t go out during a hurricane or tropical storm, if possible.
• Check flashlights and portable radios to confirm they’re working. Fully charge your cell phone, laptop and any other devices before the storm.
• Check the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
• If you own a car, making sure its gas tank is at least half full in the event you need to travel. Purchase a car phone charger so that you can charge your device if you lose power at your home.
• Ensure that you have an emergency kit that has basic medicine and bandages. Include disinfectants, hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies that you may need in an emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Have an emergency food supply in case of a power outage. People should have supplies to sustain their families for at least 72 hours.
• Set your refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings (remember to reset them back to normal once power is restored). During an outage, minimize the number of times you open the refrigerator or freezer door.
• Prepare your home by securing or bringing in outdoor objects (patio furniture, children’s toys, trash cans, etc.) that could be swept away or damaged during strong winds or flooding. Also, elevate items in your basement in case of flooding, check your sump pump, unplug sensitive electronic equipment, park vehicles in areas that are unlikely to flood
• MEMA recommends purchasing a generator to maintain electricity in an outage. NEVER run a generator indoors, in a garage. The exhaust must ALWAYS face away from the home or home air intakes.
• Pack a bag with important items in case you need to evacuate. Don’t forget to include needed medications and any valuable personal belongings.
• Be a good neighbor. Check on family, friends, and neighbors, especially the elderly, those who live alone, those with medical conditions and those who may need additional assistance.

In the event of a hurricane, residents are also encouraged to know if they live or work in a hurricane evacuation zone, develop a family emergency plan and create an emergency kit. 

Residents are also encouraged to follow tips provided by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) in the event of flooding:

• Don’t attempt to drive through large puddles or on flooded roads, which could threaten your safety. Just 6 inches of moving water can knock you down, and 2 feet of water can sweep your vehicle away.
• If there is a chance of flash flooding, move immediately to higher ground. Flash floods are the number one cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S.
• If floodwaters rise around your car and the water is not moving, abandon the car and move to higher ground. Do not leave the car and enter moving water.
• Avoid camping or parking along streams, rivers and creeks during heavy rainfall. These areas can flood quickly and with little warning.

After a storm passes through the area, residents should remain cautious. Heavy rain and strong winds can cause a multitude of problems like power outages, fallen debris and floods that often block roads and emergency vehicles, prolonging damage.

• Call 9-1-1 to report emergencies, including downed power lines and gas leaks.
• Stay away from downed utility wires. Always assume a downed power line is live.
• If your power is out, follow MEMA’s power outage safety tips. Report power outages to your utility company. Do not call 9-1-1 to report an outage or to ask about power restoration.  

Additional tropical storm and hurricane safety tips offered by MEMA can be found here.

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ANDOVER — The leaders of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover announced today an $80 million settlement agreement reached with Columbia Gas of Massachusetts and its parent company, NiSource Inc. for reimbursement of expenses and major roadway repairs in the aftermath of the Merrimack Valley Gas Emergency.

In a settlement agreement reached among all four parties, Columbia Gas will pay up to $80 million, including:

• $57 million earmarked for curb-to-curb road repairs
• $10 million for expense reimbursement
• $12.8 million for claims/losses incurred by the municipalities

Andover Statement:

“I am pleased that we have reached a settlement agreement with Columbia Gas. This resolution will improve the quality of life for residents and businesses impacted by the gas disaster. The settlement, reached with the taxpayers’ interests in mind, provides Andover with the resources to fully restore the impacted roads and sidewalks. The settlement not only compensates Andover for the full cost of its response to the disaster, it also positions our community well for the future,” said Andover Town Manager Andrew Flanagan. “I want to thank the community for its patience and resilience as we recovered through the fall and winter and as we negotiated an agreement that will make our community whole again. Our work will begin immediately but it will take several years for this effort to fully recognize the benefits of the settlement. I’ve said since day one that we would be stronger communities and a stronger region in the wake of the disaster. This resolution represents a major step in making that commitment a reality. “

Lawrence Statement:

“This settlement represents the best effort of the municipalities to get the most dollars from Columbia Gas to fix what was broken during the Gas Emergency, including roads and parks, and it provides much-needed money to pay the bills that would otherwise fall to the taxpayers to support the recovery and restoration and settle claims,” said Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera. “We all wish the number was higher, but taking the ‘time value of money,’ and the costs of lengthy litigation into account, this is a good deal.”

North Andover Statements:

“The local government of North Andover incurred real costs as a result of this disaster. Not only did we have to increase staffing in our public safety departments, we also had to rent and purchase additional equipment, and incur overtime costs in many of our non public safety departments,” said Lyne Savage, Interim Town Manager. “On top of all that, it will cost more than $500,000 to repair the damage caused by having to place 60 recreational trailers on Grogans Field. This settlement will cover all of those costs and more making the town financially whole.”

Added Andrew W. Maylor, Comptroller of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, who was North Andover’s Town Manager at the time of the Gas Emergency: “There were so many consequences that resulted from the gas over-pressurization event. This settlement ensures that the trenches which were created to repair the gas lines and which now stand has a visual reminder of the scars left behind by this disaster will be replaced by a clean surface which will symbolize a fresh start for the communities.”

Background and Settlement Details:

Dozens of explosions and fires broke out shortly after 4 p.m. on September 13, 2018. One person was killed and several others were injured in the incident and its aftermath. Hundreds of homes were damaged, nearly 10,000 gas customers lost service and many thousands of appliances, furnaces, ovens and hot water heaters required replacement. In the recovery effort, nearly 50 miles of roadways in Andover, North Andover and Lawrence were dug up and temporarily patched to accommodate gas main replacement work, which lasted through December 2018.

The funds will be divided among the municipalities based on the scope of restoration work and associated claims.

Roadway Repair Work:

• Lawrence: $31.91 million
• Andover: $13.965 million
• North Andover: $11.3 million

The $10 million for expense reimbursement will be divided into a $5 million share for Lawrence, $3 million for Andover and $2 million for North Andover.

The remainder shall be divided up into shares of not more than $6.4 million for Lawrence, $3.85 million for Andover and $2.56 million for North Andover.

The three communities will perform their own repair work, which will be reimbursed by Columbia Gas. Work includes road repair in accordance with Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities standards and includes full, curb-to-curb street restoration, repair or replacement of sidewalks damaged as a result of the gas emergency, installation of ADA transitions, and replacement of damaged signs, street lights and traffic lights.

“We are pleased that we have reached an amicable resolution on these important issues. We recognize the tremendous impact the September event had on these communities and the larger-scale, more complicated work conditions than typically occur in relation to routine pipeline replacement work. For these reasons, we have been willing to go above and beyond to address the municipalities’ needs including fulfilling the request to repave curb-to-curb,” said Mark Kempic, President & Chief Operating Officer of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts. “Columbia Gas remains committed to restoring these communities to where they were before this tragic event. We appreciate the time and energy that each municipal leader has devoted to this effort. This agreement marks a significant milestone in the overall restoration efforts.”

The settlement was formally announced at a press conference earlier today at the Andover Public Safety Building, which houses the town’s Emergency Operations Center, or EOC. The Andover EOC was activated within an hour of the first reported fires and remained staff and operational for more than 10 days, during the initial response, assessment and first recovery operations.

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HAVERHILL — Superintendent Maureen Lynch is pleased to announce that 25 Whittier Tech students earned medals at the state SkillsUSA competition, with 15 taking home gold and qualifying for the national contest in June.

Ninety-five Whittier students spent many hours planning and preparing to compete in more than 30 contests at the SkillsUSA 45th Annual State Leadership and Skills Conference on April 25-27 in Marlborough.

In addition to the 15 students who won gold medals, four earned silver medals and six received bronze.

Machine Tech freshman Ryan Link, of Haverhill, was elected as a national voting delegate and Dental Assisting junior Lauren Fitzgerald, of Salisbury, was re-elected as a state officer.

“We want to congratulate all Whittier Tech students who participated in the annual SkillsUSA competition,” Superintendent Lynch said. “Students work all year preparing for this event, so to place is a huge accomplishment that illustrates participants’ clear understanding of a subject, critical thinking and creativity.”

The medalists are:

GOLD: Chapter Display
Electrical Technology students: Sophomore Josh Roberts, of Haverhill, senior Kaitlyn Cook, of Haverhill and sophomore Nick Muryn, of Amesbury

GOLD: Career Pathways Showcase: Arts & Communication
Design & Visual Communications students: Senior Rhina Tiburcio, of Haverhill, junior Seda Tuncok, of Haverhill, and junior Zachary DePaolo, of Newburyport. They won for their 2018 animated yearbook.

“It was a good experience, especially socializing with our competition,” Tuncok said. “Even though I’m involved in our school drama productions, public speaking is a lot harder than expected.”

GOLD: Career Pathways Showcase: Business/Management/Technology
Marketing and Business Management students: Junior Halie Alsarabi, senior Josmell Ramos and junior Megan Jegorow, all of Haverhill

GOLD: Career Pathways Showcase: Health Services
Health Occupations students: Senior Allasandra Thompson, of Haverhill, sophomore Vitoria Paiva, of Merrimac, and senior Larissa Havey, of Amesbury

GOLD: Urban Search and Rescue
Electronics/Robotics students: Senior Dylan Grandmaison, of Haverhill, and senior Nolan Turi, of Newburyport

“It was fun to meet all of the people there,” Turi said. Their task was to build a mobile robot to complete specific tasks used by fire, police and military service personnel to secure an area by locating, neutralizing, moving, and disposing of explosive materials. “My advice is to go to Skills and go twice because last year I didn’t place and this year I am going to nationals.”

GOLD: CNC Technician
Machine Technology student: Senior Bryan Richards, of Georgetown

“It’s a great feeling to win,” Richards said. “Preparing for the competition is tough work, but winning makes it worth it.”

SILVER: Commercial Baking
Culinary Arts student: Junior Jillian Marden, of Merrimac

SILVER: HVACR
HVAC student: Senior Samuel Claflin, of Haverhill

SILVER: Community Action Project
Early Education and Care students: Sophomores Sharyn Britton and Victoria Miller, both of Haverhill

BRONZE: Career Pathways Showcase: Human Services
Culinary Arts students: Junior Sydney Stewart, senior Autumn Mulloy and senior Sierra Barry, all of Haverhill

BRONZE: Community Service
Early Education and Care students: Seniors Ashley Greene, of Salisbury, Mackenzie Collins, of Amesbury, and Melissa Cepeda, of Haverhill

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DANVERS — Essex Tech Superintendent Heidi Riccio and Greater Lawrence Tech Superintendent John Lavoie would like to invite the community to attend a free presentation tomorrow on access to vocational and technical education.

WHEN:

Saturday, May 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

WHERE:

Essex Tech, 565 Maple St., Danvers

WHAT:

Sponsored by the Education Working Group of Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts, the discussion will focus on how to prepare this generation of students for the jobs of the future, specifically in Essex County.

Given today’s ever changing labor market, and a need for skilled workers, especially in advanced manufacturing, employers are often struggling to find qualified workers in their fields.

Essex Tech and Greater Lawrence Tech are two of a handful of schools in Essex County that prepare students for a wide range of careers while preparing students for the immediate job market, higher-level/trade career training or college. Each year, the number of applicants far outweighs the number of spots available at regional schools in Essex County.

During the forum, educators, including Superintendent Riccio, Superintendent Lavoie, Bonnie Carr, Director of Workforce Development and Adult Education at Essex Tech, and Elizabeth Bennett, Director of Grants, Community and Workforce Development at GLTS will explore these and other issues and how vocational and technical schools are working to solve them.

“This is a great opportunity for members of the public to learn more about career technical education, career trends and how we as a state can provide all students with the opportunity for a 21st century education that meets the needs of today’s labor market,” Superintendent Riccio said. “We encourage anyone with an interest in the subject to attend and be a part of this conversation.”

Another panel made up of students, parents, and workers will then present their perspectives.

Panelists will also lead breakout sessions, where audience members will have the opportunity to participate and ask questions. To conclude the forum, leaders will provide a training session in public advocacy, followed by a tour of the Essex Tech facilities.

“We know that there is a significant need from employers in a number of industries who are looking for skilled workers,” Superintendent Lavoie said. “We also recognize that there is a growing desire from students throughout Essex County to obtain these skills prior to or in place of entering post-secondary education. We invite the public to be a part of the conversation as we work to address this situation both locally and at the state level.”

The forum is free of charge and open to the public. Free parking is available on site.

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