Gloucester Police Provide Safety Tips for Hurricane Season

For Immediate Release

Friday, Aug. 21, 2015

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003

Gloucester Police Provide Safety Tips for Hurricane Season

GLOUCESTER — With hurricane season still in full effect, Police Chief Leonard Campanello and the Gloucester Police Department ask that residents prepare themselves for weather-related emergencies.

Weather events, like a severe thunderstorm, hurricane or tropical storm, which the state is most at risk of receiving until November 30, bring heavy rain and strong winds, which can cause a multitude of problems like power outages, fallen debris, and floods that often block roads and repair vehicles, prolonging damage.

Chief Campanello urges all residents to follow tips outlined by the Massachusetts Emergency Agency (MEMA) — a state-run organization tasked with preparing the commonwealth for natural and man-made disasters — to prepare for long-term power outages.

“We never want our residents to be in a situation where they are in their homes without power for long periods of time and do not have the needed resources to weather a storm,” Chief Campanello said. “Please do all you can to protect yourself this season.”

• Check flashlights and portable radios to confirm they’re working.
  —- A radio is an important source of weather and emergency information during a storm.
  —- Use flashlights for lighting, not candles which can be a fire hazard.
• Fully charge your cell phone, laptop and any other devices before the storm.
• If you own a car, make 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.
• 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.
  —- Food can stay cold in a full refrigerator for up to 24 hours and in a well-packed freezer for 48 hours (24 hours if it is half-packed).
• If you have life-support devices (home dialysis, suction, breathing machines, etc.) that depend on electricity, contact your local electric company about your power needs in advance of an emergency. Some utility companies will put you on a “priority reconnection service” list.
  —- Talk to your equipment suppliers about your power options
  —- Let the fire department know that you are dependent on life-support devices.

MEMA suggests purchasing a generator to maintain electricity despite an outage. Generators should always be kept outside since they admit carbon monoxide fumes that can quickly accumulate if indoors.

It is also important that citizens avoid plugging a generator directly into household wiring, a process known as “backfeeding.” Doing so puts utility workers or any neighbors served by the same transformer at risk of electrocution.

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