Milton Emergency Plans in Place for Hurricane Sandy

Emergency officials and town departments in Milton have been preparing for Hurricane Sandy since Friday with internal discussions and various calls with the Governor’s Emergency Management staff.

According to Milton Police Chief Richard Wells Jr., the town has participated in twice daily state calls that include National Weather Service updates. Board of Selectmen Chair Tom Hurley and interim Town Administrator Annemarie Fagan have meet with essential personal on Friday, to prepare for the storm.

An operational briefing, which will include Milton departmens and the Local Emergency Planning Committee, a 27-member board with representation from Milton Police, Milton Fire, Milton Public Schools, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton and others, will be held at 9 a.m., Monday.

Wells said the biggest areas of concern for Milton are, “wind, power outages, downed limbs and trees as well as flooded streets from clogged storms drains.”

Wells also pointed out the storms duration could increase problems.

“The one issue that forecasters seem most concerned with for Sandy in our area is the duration of high wind,” Wells said. “TS [Tropical Storm] Irene in 2011 lasted for about six hours. Sandy in comparison is twice her size with a duration of sustained and high gust winds of 60-80 mph, possibly lasting 12 hours.”

Emergency responders in Milton are expected to increase staff as the storm hits. On Friday, Fire Chief Jack Grant said he would keep an eye on the storm and call in more firefighters if necessary. With more staff, organizations like the fire, police and public works departments, will respond as dispatched.

“It’s responding to calls like any other day,” Grant said, adding the volume would certainly be higher.

The Milton Police Department’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will go into operation Monday morning to coordinate the efforts.

“We have some great staff, who are more than prepared to respond and deal with whatever Sandy deals us,” Wells said.

For the latest Milton-specific information about Hurricane Sandy, visit Milton Patch, townofmilton.org and the Milton Police Department’s Facebook page.