Good Morning Gloucester

Below is the only official information being issued by the city in regards to the storm. The protocol in these events is to designate an Information Officer so that there is continuity of information that flows to the public. Any other statements you may have received are unofficial and do not represent the City. Below is the City’s official release as of 950am Saturday: Storm Update from DPW:The snow came down so quickly and heavily creating poor visibility that stalled the snow plowing operation. Please be patient, Public Works is aware of the side streets that are impassible and is working very hard to catch up with plowing efforts. Please be aware that it will take the better part of this weekend to get the roads opened up let alone cleaned up. To help speed this process please abide by the driving ban and stay off the roads. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated and necessary.Storm Update from Point of Information Officer (PIO): The Mayors Office, Police, Fire, Ems and DPW have been working diligently throughout the night to stay on top of this storm. A storm of this magnitude of course creates widespread issues that must be approached slowly and methodically. Overnight, we experienced several power outages which were address by National Grid in a prioritized manner. We also responded to several calls for stranded motorists, despite the Governors ban on driving. At this time, the ban is STILL IN EFFECT. The City parking ban is also STILL IN EFFECT. PLEASE stay indoors and do not drive. Not only is driving at this point putting people in danger, but it is limiting the resources available from public safety to deal with emergencies. We are also urging, at the highest level, that people stay away from the shoreline, especially the backshore, which as of 9am today has been closed until high tide recedes. There is significant splash-over that is spilling large debris in the roadway. The footbridge is likely at risk as well. An area of seawall at Lanes Cove has also been destroyed and significant property damage is being reported on Salt Island Road. As such, I reiterate that the storm is still ongoing, still dangerous, and it is important to stay inside and off the roadways. The storm will continue todayand may worsen in terms of wind and additional snowfall toward the tail end, causing further issues for Public Safety response. DPW will be continuouslyplowing and getting to the streets that are impassable. As I mentioned yesterday, while the snow will abate today, the storm will continue to cause issues well into Sunday and Monday with clean-up efforts. Cooperation from the residents of Gloucester is essential for the quickest and safest possible return to normal operation and driving. The EOC remains in operation until further notice at AddisonGilbert Hospital and will have a representative from each public safety sector to insure we have no interruptions in communicationsand to properly record the storm and our responses for State analysis. If you experience a power outage, call National Grid directly at 800-465-1212. If it is an emergency such as an arcing wire or a tree on wires, please call the Police Department directly and we will attempt to expedite response. In addition, helpful information can be found 978-281-9775lcampanello

Before anyone gets the wrong idea like my boy The Rabbit is some type of lady killer, fear not. In all the years I’ve been hanging out with him I’ve never ever, not once seen him hook up. Except the one girlfriend he had a while back which had the entire gang scratching our heads as to what type of magic potion he must have given her, complete smoke show (on a Rabbit scale).

So where at Mammitas Beach and it’s been a very difficult day with all the reapplying of suntan lotion and lifting of cold beverages (very difficult I tell you). The Rabbit spots this group of Brazilian girls that set up shop about 30 feet away. He then proceeds to tell me that he’s gonna do a photo shoot with them.

Now you have to understand that my boy The Rabbit is the sweetest, nicest do anything loyal to death kind of friend anyone could ever ask for but at the same time there is no one in my life that more utter bullshit drips from their lips than The Rabbit. I mean from morning to night it’s story after story after story about how last week he was shooting Victoria Secret Models or he’s spinning some ridiculous tale about something or other. They are mostly half truths but always harmless stories and I let him go on and on until he gets really wild and then I’ll look at him and call him out on how stupid he sounds and then we laugh hysterically.

That’s just the Rabbit and all our friends know the gig and we all love him because he is a special kind of friend.

So when he says to me that he’s gonna do a photo shoot with these Brazilian girls on the beach it goes in one ear and out the other much like the hundreds of other bullshit stories he had told earlier in the day. Until…
he gets up and saunters over with his phone and plops down his big Rabbit Belly and starts showing them some of his photography from other model shoots hes done flipping through the photos saved on his cell phone. I figure they’re gonna send him packing within a minute or two but then something magical happened.

All three of them were smiling and laughing and completely engaged by the Rabbit’s theatrics and stories. I’m still 30 feet away so I have no idea what type of off the wall stories he’s telling but whatever they are, he’s got them mesmerized.

So knowing I had to capture this for all our other buddies like Syd and DK and Stevie Corbett to see I started to snap photos. So DK, Syd and Corbs, when Rabbit tells you in an email today that he shot some Brazilian girls on Mammitas Beach, this one time he won’t be FOS. Only thing is I guarantee when he tells the story that they will have been Brazilian Supermodels who work for Victoria’s Secret. (Cuz that’s how the Rabbit talks) Like if he happens to talk to a girl one evening she automatically becomes a Victoria’s Secret model the next day when we rehash the night.

So here’s the proof-

Hey Joe, Just thought I’d share a few notes with your readers about what we are up to here at the Police Station: As you know, Mayor Kirk declared a snow emergency and parking ban for 8am this morning through the Code Red system. Our cruisers were out during the morning using the P.A. to announce that the parking ban would be enforced to ensure that the DPW could safely and efficiently clear the roads. At about 1pm, we began tagging and towing vehicles that had failed to comply with the snow emergency and cleared some trouble spots for the DPW as the afternoon went on. The Governor has declared a State of Emergency and a driving ban (a first since the Blizzard of 1978) effective at4pm. Mayor Kirk has also issued a State of Emergency for the City, allowing Police and Fire to more effectively handle the storm. We are using this declaration to clear the rest of the roadways of persons and vehicles for their own safety, and so that Police, Fire,EMS and DPW can address the emergencies related to the storm and any calls for service that come in. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is activated at the Addison Gilbert Hospital. It is being manned by a skeleton crew of volunteers to properly record the use of personnel, equipment, and to record the number and nature of storm related calls for future possible reimbursement from the State Declaration of Emergency. The EOC also has a representative from Fire and Police in the event that communications are interrrupted and we require a back-up system. The EOC will be active for the duration of the storm. Through MEMA updates and Weather reports, we are expecting the storm to intensify in terms of snowfall between 7pm tonight and7am tomorrow morning with snow falling at a possible rate of 1-3 inchesper hour, coupled with strong winds. In that event, obviously the preparations we have made all day will pay off and the DPW will have opportunity to try to keep up with the storm. Your readers should know and understand that Police, Fire and DPW will be working on this storm well after the anticipated ending time of the snowfall sometime tomorrow evening and that it will be an ongoing effort to clear all roadways. We are urging people to help us out by staying indoors and safe and calling us with any emergencies. Residents are also urged to secure outside items, especially water related items, to minimize unnecessary search efforts and to visit www.ready.gov/winter-weather for more information on how to best get through the storm. The Police Department is employing the use of 4 wheel drive vehicles, but as the storm intensifies and roads become less passable, people should understand response times may be a little slower. Should power outages occur, please understand that National Grid vehicles experience the same delays other vehicles would and the outages may last a little longer than expected. Please call National Grid with any outage questions. If there should be an emergency with a downed wire or a tree limb hanging on wires, please call the Police Department directly. On behalf of Mayor Carolyn Kirk, I’d like to thank your readers and the citizens of Gloucester for their cooperation and understanding during this storm. City Management, Police, Fire, EMS, and DPW will be working diligently throughout the night and for the duration of this storm to make sure we safely and efficiently manage this event and return to business as usual as soon as possible. Thanks to you as well for letting us provide this info to your readers. Leonard CampanelloChief of PoliceCity of Gloucester, MA(978-281-9775lcampanello@gloucester-ma.gov