Forecasters predicted there is a 90 percent chance the East /coast will see steady gale-force winds, heavy rain, flooding and maybe snow starting Sunday and stretching past Halloween on Wednesday.
A driver maneuvers his classic American car along a wet road as a wave crashes against the Malecon in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012. Hurricane Sandy blasted across eastern Cuba on Thursday as a potent Category 2 storm and headed for the Bahamas after causing at least two deaths in the Caribbean.
SPRINGFIELD – Hurricane Sandy, currently sweeping through the Caribbean and heading north, is still days away but forecasters are concerned that by the time it reaches New England, it could turn into a monster storm.
Forecasters predicted there is a 90 percent chance the East Coast will see steady gale-force winds, heavy rain, flooding and maybe snow starting Sunday and stretching past Halloween on Wednesday.
By the time Sandy reaches the Northeast, it could veer inland and combine with an early winter storm in the West, and a blast of arctic air from the North. Forecasters have predicted it will collide and park over the country’s most populous coastal corridor and reach as far inland as Ohio. Some meteorologists say it could cause $1 billion in damage along the East Coast.
The combination of elements and its proximity to Halloween have led some forecasters to call it “Frankenstorm.”
If the storm hits on Monday, it will be on the one-year anniversary of last year’s freak snowstorm that dumped as much as 2 feet of snow and downed tree limbs and wires and caused several hundred thousands of electrical outages across Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Given the severity of the storm last October, Western Massachusetts officials said they are taking nothing for granted this year.
“We’ve learned from last year’s experiences,” said Westfield Mayor Daniel M. Knapik.
Across Western Massachusetts, municipal leaders, department of public works heads and utility companies are planning for worst-case scenarios in the event that this year’s storm turns out to be as bad as last year’s storm.
“We’ll be as prepared as we can,” said Agawam Mayor Richard A. Cohen. “We are being very proactive about it.”
Gov. Deval Patrick on Thursday gave the state’s utility companies a Friday deadline for outlining how they intend to deal with the storm and any resulting outages.
Sen. Scott Brown also issued a statement that he has asked utilities to detail the number of repair crews on standby compared to last year. “We are now aware of a hurricane that could create disruptions, and I want to make sure there are proper plans in place to ensure that people of Massachusetts don't endure unnecessary extended outages again.”
Utilities were faulted last year for inadequate preparation going into the storm and for how they handled the massive number of outages, some of which left customers without electricity for as long as nine days.
Attorney General Martha Coakley has sought multi-million dollar fines against three major utilities serving Massachusetts, citing inadequate preparation and response to the October storm and Tropical Storm Irene two months earlier. She has sought fines of $9.7 million against NStar, $16.3 million against National Grid, and $4 million against Western Massachusetts Electric Co.
Gov. Patrick, when asked during an interview on WTKK-FM if the utilities would be ready this year, replied “They’d better be.”
“We’re preparing, yes,” said Charlotte McCormack, spokeswoman for the National Grid. “And we’ve been monitoring and tracking the storm since early this week.”
As of Thursday afternoon, the utility was planning whether to mobilize contract workers who would be needed to work on any outages. The idea is to have them in place before the storm hits, not afterward, she said.
WMECO released a statement on its website that said the company has spent much of the past year trimming tree limbs and removing vegetation that could bring down power lines. It has also improved automated functions for reinforcing the electrical grid and improved communications between the utility and communities.
Company president Peter Clark said “No utility can guarantee a storm free of outage. Our efforts over the past year have made out transmission system less susceptible to tree damage and will allow us to more closely coordinate our restoration progress with communities and better communicate with our customers.”
Chicopee Electric Light general manager Jeffrey R. Cady said the utility is taking no chances and has already started preparing to have equipment, vehicles and workers at the ready.
“We are preparing as if it is going to hit,” he said.
Charter Cablevision is also making preparations to see that any disruptions to cable service is minimal.
"We are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst," said Gregory A. Garabedian, Charter's vice president and general manager for New England. "We are tracking the storm’s path, and taking necessary precautions to ensure that our employees are prepared, in order to limit service interruptions for customers."
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency issued a statement urging state residents to be prepared. While it likely Massachusetts will see some fallout from the storm, there is no telling at this point what it will be.
“Hurricane Sandy is currently moving through the Caribbean and is projected to move northward off the eastern Florida coast in the next two days. Although it is still too early to determine Sandy’s precise long-term track, there is increasing confidence that the storm will impact Southeastern New England, including Massachusetts. The extent of impact will depend on the storm's track. Potential impacts include damaging winds, associated power outages, and freshwater and coastal flooding,” the statement reads.
With the storm so far out and its exact course still in the air, officials are urging precaution, not panic.
Dawn Leaks, spokeswoman for American Red Cross, Pioneer Valley chapter, said that after last year’s storm, people seem to be taking this year’s forecast more seriously.
“There is a need for preparedness, and there is more openness to it. People are taking it seriously,” she said.
She said she has spoken with several people who have told her that they already have an emergency preparation kit ready for the storm. Until the October snowstorm, it was rare for people to have kits ready, she said.
In Westfield, administration and emergency crews for the city’s Gas and Electric Department met Thursday afternoon to ensure their response will be quick and complete, spokesman Sean P. Fitzgerald said.
Emergency Management director Jimmy D. Wiggs was scheduled to meet with city public safety personnel and volunteers Thursday night to review the emergency management response in the event of stormy weather.
The utility meeting was to focus on standby notification to necessary personnel, inventory review for equipment and supply, emergency communications and status of department vehicles.
“We learned things from last October and have put the necessary response measures in place. The department has also adopted recommendations from federal agencies and we are prepared to deal with the storm,” Fitzgerald said.
Wiggs said he will also reach out to the Westfield Chapter of the Western Massachusetts Medical Corps for standby status should their services be needed.
“The city learned from the events of the last year,” Wiggs said. “We have plans and necessary equipment to deal with emergency situations,” he said.
Cohen said he has called for a meeting with Agawam department heads for 2 p.m. Friday to talk about the storm and ways the community can be prepared. In advance of the meeting, Cohen said Agawam may look to use the National Guard armory in Feeding Hills and the various town school buildings as emergency shelters if necessary.
Michele M. Cabral, West Springfield’s emergency management director, said the various city departments have been asked to ready preparedness plans. As part of that, she said the Department of Public Works is checking out its generators to make sure they can function with regard to providing public water.
An emergency command center will be set up in the municipal building. There is the possibility of using the West Springfield Center Center and schools if emergency shelter is needed, Cabral said.
In Amherst, town officials had already scheduled a meeting Friday morning to talk about winter preparation, said Guilford B. Mooring, superintendent of public works. They’ll be able to talk more about preparation for the various storm scenarios.
He said in preparation, they bought gasoline and diesel fuel. The generators, meanwhile, for his department and Town Hall have not yet been installed.
People should prepare for a hurricane and remove anything loose from their yard, he said. If they can remove dead branches safely, they should.
He said leaves have fallen unlike last year when snow was trapped by leaves on the branches. But he said, “Branches are already stressed (from the Halloween storm) and might give way.”
In Easthampton, the Department of Public Works is making sure they have fuel as well as checking on chainsaws and brush chippers.
“We’re not worried about snowplows," said Public Works Director Joseph I. Pipczynski. He said they making sure they have their barricades and road closed signs ready to go, because they expect they’ll need them.
“It sounds like something that’s going to be a challenge. It’s not something we like to see. We can handle it. It’s not our first rodeo,” said Pipczynski.