Stoughton's Guide to Hurricane Sandy

Editor's Note: Hurricane Sandy is projected to make landfall in the New Jersey area, but it is such a large storm New England will be impacted as well. According to the WHDH/Channel 7 weather forecast, expect "increasing rain and wind through the day" on Monday.

The forecast continued: "Worst part of storm is likely from noon until 9 p.m. [on Monday]. Temps in the mid 60s. 1-3" of rain and wind gusts between 40-60mph - perhaps near 70mph outer Cape/islands. Strongest along the coast."

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A public service announcement from the Town of Stoughton Emergency Management team in regards to Hurricane Sandy is below.

Important Numbers:

• National Grid outage reporting: 1-800-465-1212 (or 1-800-322-3223)
• Verizon: 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966)
• Comcast: 1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278)

Storm-Related Closings:

• MONDAY, OCT. 29 - Stoughton Public Schools, Stoughton Town Hall, Stoughton Public Library, Stoughton Senior Center/Youth Commission Building...Click here for full details.
• All MBTA service will be suspended as of 2 p.m. Monday. Click here for full details.

UPDATES:

• 12 p.m., Monday, Oct. 29 - With the storm starting to intensify, Deputy Fire Chief Greg Goldberg reminded residents to not go out and to stay off the roads, unless it is absolutely necessary to do so. There are no road closures to report at this time. While no major outages or incidents have been reported as of 12 p.m. on Monday, if people do experience outages, Goldberg asked that residents NOT call 9-1-1 and instead report the outages to National Grid. Call the police/fire, however, to report downed wires. The town's Emergency Management team continues to work from its headquarters at Fire Station 2.
• 4 p.m., Monday, Oct. 29 - Stoughton has declared a local state of emergency. Click here for more details.

OUTAGE UPDATE:

• 12:45 p.m., Monday, Oct. 29 - There is a small pocket of outages (8 customers) in the Highland St. area of Stoughton near Ames Pond. Reported at 12:08 p.m. Estimated restoration: TBD
• 4 p.m., Monday, Oct. 29 - About 2,000 customers or roughly 16-percent of the town is without power. Click here for more details.
• 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 29 - 16.1 percent of the town is still without power (1,993 customers). Hardest hit area is North Stoughton. Click here for more details.

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Town of Stoughton Emergency Management Public Service Announcement

The Storm known as Hurricane Sandy or "Frankenstorm" looks as if it will have an impact on our community. Predicted winds by the National Weather Service will be enough to cause probable power outages.

The Town Manger, Fire Department, Police Department, Public Works and the Stoughton Schools are all in continued contact with each other to ensure the residents of Stoughton will be given the best possible services and communications possible during the storm and its aftermath.

The Stoughton Fire Department, DPW and Police Departments have all put on extra staff during the storm to help ensure public safety and to properly serve the residents of the town of Stoughton.

In an effort to keep all residents of Stoughton safe during the impending storm, Emergency Management from the town of Stoughton would like residents to follow these practices:

Before the storm (Be prepared by Sunday evening 10/28/2012)

• Listen to Radio & Television News stations for the latest in weather reports & school cancellations
• Bring in or secure all unsecured items from outdoors
• Have extra water for drinking & other uses in case of power loss for a few days
• Stock up on non-perishable food items in case of power loss for a few days
• Have batteries ready for flash lights, radios, etc...
• Charge your phones before the storm comes
• Make Sure all Smoke/CO detector batteries have been checked
• Have Candles ready (do not leave ignited candles unattended; extinguish candles when you go to bed or when unattended)

During and After the Storm

Use common sense

• Stay inside unless absolutely necessary Per Governor Deval Patrick
• Do not use generators indoors
• Do not go near or touch ANYTHING near or around downed wires
• Conserve battery usage
• Only open refrigerators & freezers when absolutely necessary to help preserve food longer
• Check in on your neighbors, especially the elderly & disabled
• Stay away from small streams and moving water during a flood

If the Power Goes out

Dealing with downed wires:

• Assume All Downed wires are energized
• Call 911 if you see or know of downed wires
• Stay away from downed wires
• Do not touch trees, fences or any objects near downed wires as they may be energized

Reporting an outage:

• DO NOT CALL 911 for a power outage
• National Grid Customers report outages by calling 1-800-322-3223 or 1-800-465-1212
• Contact verizon and comcast at 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966) or 1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278)

If you are on Oxygen and loose power to your oxygen concentrator:

• Use a back up oxygen tank
• Call the Fire Department before you run out of oxygen.

Message from The Stoughton Fire & Police Departments

• In the event of a major influx of calls, calls will be prioritised by degree of urgency and life threat which may cause a delay in response
• The Large scope of the storm will limit the ability of Fire Department mutual aid by other communities as they may also be dealing with a high volume of calls

Message From The Department of Public Works

• There will be rubbish pick up for Monday October 29, 2012. Have rubbish out by 7 a.m. to guarantee pick up (The DPW has double trucks out collecting rubbish and will not be returning). 
• Clean catch basins near your home before storm starts
• Call the DPW during the storm for the following issues: flooding of Small streams or catch basins and downed trees
• DPW Contact Info - 781-344-2112 or 781-341-1300 x9312