SHELTER-IN-PLACE FOR A HURRICANE

 

 

 

“Sheltering-in-Place is a standard protective action utilized in Emergency Management,” states Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Director Don Boyce. “It is utilized most often during an accident or event in which hazardous materials have been released into the atmosphere, but also during other dangerous conditions, such as a severe storm, like a hurricane, when it is best to be indoors and not outside or on the road.”

 

As a Hurricane is upon New England, state or local Public Safety Officials may instruct you to ‘Shelter-in-Place’. As with Evacuations, you would be alerted in a variety of ways. Learn what methods are utilized in your community. They could include:

·         Outdoor sirens or horns.

·         The Emergency Alert System (EAS) - information provided on the radio and television.

·         National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Alert Radio.

·         ‘All Call’, ‘Reverse 911’ or ‘Code Red’ – one of a number of automated telephoning systems for sending recorded messages.

·         News Media.

·         Residential Route Alerting, which dispatches Public Safety vehicles through neighborhoods announcing messages with Public Address systems or literally ‘knocking on doors”.

·         U.S. Coast Guard Marine Broadcast.

·         A message on Teletypewriters (TTY).

 

Please Note: Holbrook will use the following tools to update citizens during an emergency:

  1. Emergency Alert System - EAS
  2. NOAA Radio
  3. News Media, including our the town local access cable TV channel
  4. Holbrook EMA website
  5. Holbrook EMA group email list
  6. Family Radio Service
  7. Amateur Radio Repeaters (147.300 MHz,442.500MHz,and 146.865MHz)
  8. Reverse 9–1-1
  9. Other systems as they become available

 

 

The following are steps to be taken only when instructed to ‘Shelter-in-Place’, not to be completed ahead of time:

·         If instructed, you should immediately go indoors.

·         Close and lock all doors and windows. Locking is preferred since it generally ensures that the door or window is shut tight.

·         Close drapes, blinds and window shades.

·         Protect windows with pre-drilled plywood sheets.

·         Go to a room in the center of your home with the fewest windows and doors.

·         It is ideal to have a hard-wired telephone in the room you select.  Cellular telephone equipment may be overwhelmed during an emergency. Do not call your local fire or police departments for information.  Emergency workers will need their lines for emergency use.  Call your local Emergency Management Office.

 

For Town of Holbrook information, Call 2-1-1 or

781-630-2201. Updated information will also be posted on our website as conditions allow.

 

·         Take your Family Disaster Kit to that location.

·         Keep pets indoors. Make sure you have additional food and water supplies for them.

·         If you have livestock, shelter them, also.  Provide them with stored feed and water.

·         Continue to monitor your Emergency Alert Station (EAS) and other Media for official messages and instructions.

·         Stay inside until officials say otherwise.

·         If you are in your vehicle and are advised to ‘Shelter-in-Place’, and are very close to home, your office or a public building, go there immediately.

 

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is the state agency responsible for coordinating federal, state, local, voluntary and private resources during emergencies and disasters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  MEMA provides leadership to: develop plans for effective response to all hazards, disasters or threats; train emergency personnel to protect the public; provide information to the citizenry; and assist individuals, families, businesses and communities to mitigate against, prepare for, and respond to and recover from emergencies, both natural and man made. For additional information about MEMA and Hurricane Preparedness Month, go to www.mass.gov/mema.