Portsmouth Emergency Preparedness

From the National Weather Service office in Taunton:

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 358 PM EST TUE MAR 5 2013

…A COASTAL STORM WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY WET SNOW AND STRONG WINDS THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY…

THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY…BUT CONFIDENCE GROWS THAT THIS STORM WILL HAVE A MODERATE TO HIGH IMPACT ON SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND.

…WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.

* LOCATIONS…WINDHAM COUNTY IN CONNECTICUT…ALL OF RHODE ISLAND AND SOUTHERN AND SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF MASSACHUSETTS. THE HIGHEST CONFIDENCE IS IN THE PROVIDENCE TO BOSTON CORRIDOR.

* HAZARD TYPES…HEAVY WET SNOW AND STRONG WINDS.

* ACCUMULATIONS…SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 6 TO 10 INCHES.

* TIMING…THIS WILL BE A LONG DURATION STORM…WITH SNOWS BECOMING HEAVIER EARLY THURSDAY MORNING INTO THE DAY THURSDAY. THE SNOW WILL GRADUALLY TAPER OFF BY THE MORNING FRIDAY.

* IMPACTS…HEAVY WET SNOW AND STRONG WINDS WILL LEAD TO DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS AS WELL AS INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD FOR POWER OUTAGES.

* WINDS…NORTHEAST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH…THE HIGHEST GUSTS WILL BE OVER SOUTH COASTAL LOCATIONS.

* TEMPERATURES…IN THE LOWER 30S.

* VISIBILITIES…IN HEAVIER BANDS OF SNOW…VISIBILITY MAY DIP TO A HALF MILE OR LESS AT TIMES.

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST SUNDAY…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST SUNDAY. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* LOCATIONS…ALL OF RHODE ISLAND EXCEPT FOR BLOCK ISLAND.

* HAZARD TYPES…HEAVY SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS.

* ACCUMULATIONS…SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 4 TO 8 INCHES.

* TIMING…ANY MIXED PRECIPITATION SHOULD CHANGEOVER TO SNOW THIS EVENING. THE SNOW MAY FALL HEAVILY FOR A TIME TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

* IMPACTS…UNTREATED ROADS AND WALKWAYS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED. WINDS WILL INCREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY. THIS MAY RESULT IN POOR VISIBILITIES FOR A TIME. IN ADDITION… THE INITIALLY WET SNOW COMBINED WITH THE WIND COULD RESULT IN SOME DOWNED TREE LIMBS AND A FEW POWER OUTAGES.

* WINDS…NORTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH.

* VISIBILITIES…AS LOW AS ONE HALF MILE AT TIMES…ESPECIALLY LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for our area for Saturday 7:00 PM through Sunday at 1:00 PM.

The forecast models diverge in their predictions of the impact of tonight’s winter weather event. We note that the European model  (ecmwf) brings this storm closest to shore with the potential for heavy snow and gusty winds in our area. The European model has been quite consistent in producing accurate predictions this winter.

Monitor the latest Advisories, Watches, and Warnings from NWS  here .

Nemo, the blizzard of 2013, brought many new people to follow Portsmouth Emergency Management Agency through Facebook, Twitter, and the EMA website. Welcome. We’re glad you found us.

We hope you will remain with us on Facebook and Twitter. We won’t distract you with superfluous Facebook postings or tweets. In fact, it can be pretty quiet around here for long periods of time. That’s by design. We don’t want to spam you with fluff nonsense. When you see a Facebook post or a tweet from Portsmouth Emergency, it will be information that we believe is important to your safety or well being. We will publish more routine day-to-day information here on the website blog, but these routine blog posts won’t be repeated on Facebook or Twitter.

The Internet is a marvelous resource, but in an emergency ALWAYS call 911. The E-911 center is staffed 24 hours a day by trained professionals who will quickly route your call to the appropriate response agency. The 911 operator is able to determine your location even if a connection is lost. The E-911 center can instantly identify the street address of a land-line phone, and they have the capability to determine the location of a cell phone.

You can help Portsmouth EMA improve our operations by participating in an on-line survey about our response to Nemo, the blizzard of 2013. The survey is here.

You can help your community by volunteering to serve as an EMA Volunteer. See the Volunteer tab on the menu above.

How would you rate the Town’s response to Winter Storm Nemo? The Town of Portsmouth is interested  in hearing from you.

Power was restored to 159 National Grid customers at 12:45 PM today.

That line crew has moved to Bristol Ferry Road as is now working to restore power in that area.

The Prudence Island Volunteer Fire Department reports that electric power was restored to the Prudence Island Fire Station at 11:04 AM.

Additional power company crews have arrived in Portsmouth and are working to restore electric power to the 297 Portsmouth customers still without power. Power should be restored to Riverside and nearby streets in Island Park by 2 PM today. Every customer in Portsmouth should have their power restored no later than 11:00 PM this evening.

Debris removal plans are underway to address the large volume of fallen trees and branches on the ground. Debris removal can commence only after the current situation is stabilized and the snow pack is gone or greatly diminished. Any debris that is creating an immediate hazard should be reported to the Public Works department at 683-0362 or the Portsmouth Fire department at 683-1200.

All Town departments and agencies continue to work hard to maintain your safety and restore normalcy in Portsmouth.

Although electric power has been restored for most Portsmouth residents, some people are still without power. National Grid’s East Bay regional representative is working from the Portsmouth EOC and is aware of the remaining outages in Portsmouth.  National Grid has 20 new line crews headed to Aquidneck Island at this time. These crews will be arriving all night tonight and will begin work immediately. National Grid’s goal is to have all power restored in Portsmouth by the end of the day Monday. If you are still without power now, call National Grid at 1 800 465 1212 even if you have previously reported the outage.

Roads are clear in Portsmouth, many being cleared to bare pavement. Use caution when driving as some road passages are narrow due to the sheer volume of snow in the snow banks alongside the road.

A wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain is expected during tomorrow morning’s commute. Allow extra time for travel tomorrow morning. The precipitation should eventually turn to all rain by mid day.

In an emergency, always call 911. For non-emergency inquiries call the Portsmouth Fire Department at 683-1200 or the Portsmouth Police Department at 683-0300.

Was your home or property in Portsmouth damaged by Nemo, the Blizzard of 2013? If so, please submit a damage report to the Town of Portsmouth. These damage reports will be helpful in determining whether or not our state qualifies for federal disaster assistance funding from FEMA.

You can submit a damage report in any one of these ways:

Download an electronic form in Word format here and e-mail it to Safety@PortsmouthEmergency.com

or

Download a printable form here in Word format and mail, fax, or hand deliver it to Town Hall.

or

Call 683 3255 during normal business hours to report property damage from the storm. You will be asked to provide your name and contact information, the address of the damaged property, and a description of the damage.