2PM Official City Of Gloucester Storm Update

Storm Update As of 2pm, we expect that the last remnants of snowfall will be leaving us over the next couple hours. We have already seen an abatement in the wind. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has closed as of 1pm. The Governor of Massachusetts has left the driving ban in place indicating the toll this storm has taken on resources and the incredible effort it will take to clean up from it. The driving ban will be lifted at 4pm. Until that time, we are urging all residents to still remain indoors and abide by the lawful declaration of the Governor. DO NOT DRIVE. In addition to the added hazard you place on yourself, the burden unnecessary road travel can have on Public Safety and DPW efforts can undermine the efforts to restore the City to normal function safely and quickly. In addition, the Governor has mandated that a criminal penalty may be imposed for those who violate the ban of up to a year in jail and a fine. Please understand that nonessential, nonemergency driving simply stalls our efforts to continue to address the storms aftermath. If you do not have to drive after the ban is lifted at 4pm, please do not. While the penalties and declarations will be removed, efforts will be just getting underway to clean the City up. The more we all cooperate, the quicker we clean up and the less we are all frustrated by what Mother Nature has burdened us with. The tide at 10am was destructive in the sense that it caused significant damage to two houses on Salt Island Road, caused the Police Department to close the backshore, made the footbridge at Good Harbor unstable and possibly loosened it from its pilings, and caused more damage to the Lanes Cove seawall. This is not to mention the incredible amount of debris that was washed up onto Atlantic Road that will need to be addressed. National Grid is out and working and we currently have under 1000 residents out of power. They will continue their efforts until everyone is restored. The DPW continues to work tirelessly to make main and secondary roads safe for travel and to clean up the accumulated snow piles that plowing inevitably creates. Be patient. A storm of this magnitude stresses all resources we have, and the DPW has done and will continue to do and extraordinary job in cleaning the roadways. It takes time and you can expect clean-up efforts to stretch throughout the weekend at the least. Again, I would urge residents to make sure they have working carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, to seek out and clear any exterior venting from indoor gas, oil or other fuel source and to check on and help out their neighbors when they are able to. Lastly, on behalf of Mayor Carolyn Kirk, Fire Chief Eric Smith, DPW Director Michael Hale and myself, we would like to express our gratitude for the cooperation of all Gloucester residents during this crisis. By heeding warnings and emergency instructions, you allowed us to do our jobs to the best of our ability, and minimized the possibility of injury to yourselves and public safety workers. This will be the last update from me as Point of Information Officer regarding this storm event unless there is new or important information to convey. Thank you for your attention and cooperation throughout the storm. Sincerely, Leonard CampanelloChief of PoliceCity of Gloucester, MA