________________________________________________________________ Town officials prepare for Hurricane Irene ________________________________________________________________ North Reading Town Administrator Gregory Balukonis met with emergency responders and other Town of North Reading Officials on Friday, August 26, 2011 in preparation for Hurricane Irene. Representatives from Police, Fire, DPW, North Reading School Department, Elder Affairs, Building Inspector, Emergency Management, Health Department, and Town Engineer’s Office met to prepare for the pending storm. Town Officials will be coordinating hurricane related responses from the North Reading Police Department’s Henry J. Purnell room. A Unified Command has been established with representative from each Town department. “A representative from each department attended our operational briefing this morning. I will be on hand Sunday to coordinate the activities of all the responding departments. We’ve evaluated the Towns needs and are prepared to respond.” Balukonis said. Balukonis said that if necessary, the Batchelder School will be open and serve as shelter for those who may need it. According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Irene is forecast to hit the Eastern Massachusetts area on Sunday, August 28, 2011 around mid morning. A flood watch has been issued with rain fall expected to be in the 4-8 inch range. With high wind and heavy rain probable for Massachusetts Sunday and early Monday, down trees and power outages are likely. The storm is expected to last into the evening hours. Expect road closures and delays. Citizens, who have storm related
questions, can direct their calls to the North Reading Police Department @ 978-664-3131 then press 0. For all emergencies call 911. |
