Salem residents brace for Irene

August 26, 2011|By Justin Rice, Your Town Correspondent, Globe Staff

Ed Kenney, Salem, gassing up his car in Salem Friday morning at Global Station. (Steven Rosenberg/Globe…)

Steven Rosenberg/Globe Staff

Lisa Sheehan stocks up on water, trash bags, canned goods and dog food at Market Basket in Salem.

By Justin Rice, Your Town Correspondent

Boaters couldn’t get their boats out of the water quickly enough this morning at Salem Harbor as Hurricane Irene’s breath was more than felt down the North Shore’s neck.

“The boat ramp is at capacity, people are pulling out with a frenzy, they are taking this storm seriously,” Salem Assistant Harbormaster Joe Dunn said around 10:30 a.m. “People started yesterday and right now we’re at capacity.

“There are lots of boats taking refuge. … They are going to continue to hull out till the storm gets here. There are a lot of boats in this harbor. We’re advising people if they can get out to get out.”

According to the National Weather Service Irene will hit the North Shore late Sunday night or early Monday morning and could possibly be exacerbated by the geography of Salem and Marblehead harbors if the eye of the storm passes to the east of the North Shore.

And even though it's been more than 20 years since Hurricane Bob hit the region in 1991, Salem Police Spokesman Lieutenant Conrad Prosniewski said the city knows what to do.

“In this area here we’re pretty seasoned even though there’s not been a major storm in a while,” Prosniewski said. “We’ve had enough of a warning on TV to make people aware and batten down the hatches and get ready.”

He said the department will have extra staff on hand, including the dive team on standby in case the harbormaster needs assistance on the waterfront.

“Other than that we cross our fingers and hope it’s less than they say,” said Prosniewski, before recalling Hurricane Bob. “It was definitely a good blow but we prepared for it at the police station the same way as today. You never know. Storms are all different. Everyone leaves a different fingerprint. We hope this one passes by without too much fuss.”

He also wasn’t worried by the fact that Mayor Kim Driscoll is on vacation this week.

“People she has in place, department heads, are capable,” he said. “They are seasoned people. Everything will work fine without her.”

Ed Kenney of Salem, who was gassing up his car in on Friday morning at Global Station, wasn’t taking any chances either.

"All indications are we're going to get hit with a lot of wind and rain,” he said. “The thing I worry about is the high tide and flooding.”

Steven Rosenberg/Globe Staff

Ed Kenney, Salem, gassing up his car in Salem Friday morning at Global Station.

Globe North staff reporter Steve Rosenberg contributed to this story.

Justin A. Rice can be reached at jrice.globe@gmail.com.

The city released the following statement on Friday:

Salem officials met Friday morning to finalize preparedness plans for Hurricane Irene as it moves up the eastern seaboard. Based on the current track of the hurricane, Irene is estimated to hit Salem on Sunday evening.

Jason Silva, Chief Administrative Aide to Mayor Driscoll stated, "Based on our meeting this morning, all city departments are very well prepared to handle this emergency."

All emergency vehicles and equipment have been fueled and tested and ready to go. The Salem Police and Fire Departments, as well as Atlantic Ambulance have increased their staffing for the weekend and are ready to respond to emergencies. Department of Public Services crews are ready to deal with fallen trees, barricade flooded streets, and crews are out now clearing catch basins in areas known to flood. Empty sandbags and sand are available at the DPW Garage at 5 Jefferson Avenue. There is a limit of ten bags per person, and residents must supply their own shovels.

"Right now, the biggest concern is wind and high tide storm surges." stated Captain Dennis Levasseur, the Fire Department's Deputy Director of Emergency Management. We will have a better picture of the storm track by Saturday afternoon, at which time voluntary and/or mandatory closures and evacuations will be determined."

The Harbormaster's Office has removed the Willows floats and gangway, as well as the center section of the docks at Winter Island. In the event of severe weather the island may be closed, as well as other city piers and marinas. The Harbormaster is in close contact with the Salem Police Department Dive Team, which will be on alert beginning on Saturday afternoon.

The Salem Housing Authority, which is responsible for several elderly housing complexes that border the waterfront, have tested all of their emergency sump pumps and generators and have updated their evacuation plans and have staff on alert to ensure the safety of their residents

Although the Red Cross plans to open regional shelters if necessary, the Salem Health Department is working closely with them to ensure our residents will have emergency shelter access.

In preparation for the storm, residents are advised to carry in all outside light objects and lawn furniture, clear catch basins near their property, and are encouraged to log onto the Fire Department and Health Department pages on www.salem.com to access information ranging from how to protect your home from damage to creating an emergency evacuation bag, what types of food to stock up on in case of an emergency, to what you need to know if you lose power.

"Most importantly, residents should just use common sense and stay indoors during height of storm, don't go close to the water's edge and don't touch any downed wires," stated Fire Chief David Cody.

Continue to check www.salem.com for storm updates and emergency information.

Who to call:

In case of an Emergency, dial 911

To report downed wires and power outages, call the Salem Fire Department at 978-744-1235.

To get assistance with basement pump outs, call the Salem Fire Department at 978-744-1235.

To report downed trees, call the Department of Public Services at 978-744-3302.