My View of Life on the Dock
It’s Right Around The Corner!!!!!!
Check Out The Gloucester Schooner Festival Web Page For All The Info About The Schooner Race, The LobsterFest and The Parade Of Sails!!!!
Check Out Kim Smith’s Incredibly Beautiful Video For a Little Glimpse of The Magnificence-
The National Weather Service now has a high degree of confidence that New England will experience significant impacts from Hurricane Sandy regardless of the location of the landfall. With landfall south of New England, Massachusetts is still likely to sustain significant impacts from this storm including damaging winds, associated power outages, and freshwater and coastal flooding.
The City of Gloucester is providing the following information for residents and businesses in order to ensure that steps are taken to be as prepared as possible in the event the storm has a serious impact on our community.
As the storm gets closer and more information is available a Public Information Officer will be available and a telephone number for residents and the media to call will be issued. The announcement of the Public Information Officer will coincide with the opening of the Emergency Operations Center. More information will follow as it becomes available.
The Gloucester Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) would like to share the following hurricane preparation tips for residents of Gloucester. In addition, the checklist below outlines what you may need, should Gloucester be hit with damaging winds and power outages.
· Stay informed by monitoring the storm via the media.
· Be sure to have a well-stocked Family Disaster Kit* in the event you lose power or are isolated for a number of days.
· Clear clogged rain gutters. This storm brings the potential for torrential rain. Providing clear drainage will help prevent misdirected flooding.
· Secure outdoor items such as lawn furniture, trash barrels, hanging plants, toys and awnings that can be broken or picked up by strong winds and potentially become a projectile.
· Elevate articles in your basement that could be damaged from even minor flooding.
· Keep your vehicles fully fuelled.
· Have a certain amount of cash available. If power is lost, ATMs may not be working.
Following is a list of suggested essentials for what you will need to create your own home disaster kit. You might be surprised to see that most of the items are things you already have. Even if you have everything on this list, now is the best time to organize everything so it is all together when you need it. Medications change, babies arrive, new pets join the family and people move. Check and update your water, food, batteries, medications and contact phone numbers at least once a year.
ü Cell Phone, charger (there are also emergency crank or battery powered cell phone chargers) and headset so you can talk hands free.
ü Bottled water (1 gallon per person per day for drinking, plus an additional gallon for teeth brushing, bathing, cooking, etc.).
ü Battery-powered radio with extra batteries.
ü Flashlight and batteries.
ü Keep your vehicle fueled up. Get in the habit of not letting your gas tank get below half full. In an emergency, when it may be difficult or impossible to get fuel, you will be very thankful you have it.
ü Dry and canned foods and can opener (make sure the canned and packaged foods don’t have too much salt – they will make you more thirsty and with limited water around, that isn’t the best thing).
ü Disposable eating utensils, dinnerware and cooking tools.
ü Baby needs, including diapers, wipes and food.
ü Pet needs, food, water, collar and leash.
ü Medical supplies, including prescription medications, eyeglasses, contacts, etc.
ü Toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer and feminine needs.
ü Trash bags.
ü Soap and toiletries.
ü Scissors and tweezers.
ü Utility knife.
ü Crow bar.
ü First Aid Kit including:
Ø first aid instruction guide
Ø bandages of various sizes and types
Ø elastic wrap
Ø adhesive tape
Ø finger splints
Ø eye pads
Ø sterile dressings
Ø gauze roll
Ø examination gloves
Ø instant cold pack
Ø burn cream
Ø antibacterial ointment
Ø alcohol prep pads
Ø hydrogen peroxide spray
ü Comfortable thick soled shoes and socks.
ü Whistle.
ü Waterproof matches and emergency candles (do not use if you smell gas or hear a hissing sound).
ü Duct tape.
ü Rope.
ü Emergency blanket.
ü Work gloves.
ü Small towel or clean rag.
ü Bandana or dust mask.
ü Change of clothes.
ü Cap or visor.
ü Pen and paper.
ü Emergency contact numbers.
ü Emergency gas shut off tool.
ü Fire extinguisher.
ü Road map.
ü Important personal documents.
ü Comfort items – especially for children (stuffed animal, toy, cards, etc.)
ü Backpack to store important items so you can grab and go.
Securing Your Home from Hurricane Sandy
Knowing what weather forces your home is vulnerable to is the key to reducing any damage that might occur from Hurricane Sandy. You should know if your home can be damaged by wind, water surge and/or flooding.
There are various ways to secure your home from the weather scenarios that Hurricane Sandy might produce. You should make sure the exterior of your home is as strong as possible by securing doors, garage doors, roof, shutters and windows. For more information on securing your home from high winds, visit:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/retrofit/secure_home.shtml
Do not attempt to move downed limbs until you are sure that there are no electric wires involved and that the cutting the limb will not result in it suddenly moving and possibly causing injury.
Should Cape Ann suffer substantial storm damage, you should be prepared to “shelter in place” for as long as 72 hours. If this is the case, please check on neighbors who may need assistance.
Stay informed of the latest forecast – the National Hurricane Center continues to be the official source for storm forecasts and updates, which you can find at http://www.hurricanes.gov or on your phone at http://hurricanes.gov/mobile.
If the storm approaches your community, your local National Weather Service forecast office is the best place to find any severe weather watches/warnings for your area (www.weather.gov or on your phone at http://mobile.weather.gov).
More information can be found at
www.ready.gov
9/28/2012 2:49:45 PM EST – Good afternoon. This is Mayor Carolyn Kirk with an important message from the City of Gloucester’s code red emergency messaging system. Please listen carefully to the following message.
The City Administration, School Department, and Board of Health are monitoring the growing number of animal and human cases of West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis or Triple E. Effective immediately, we are instituting two precautionary measures:
1) ) All outside youth sports programs, the use of city playing fields, and city sponsored activities between the hours of 5pm and 8am will be restricted or rescheduled. The School Department and individual youth programs will be contacting families directly.
2) The second precautionary measure we are taking is to request that restaurants with outdoor eating areas post information about the threat of mosquito-borne illness during dusk and evening hours.
You are also urged to take precautionary measures such as:
• Repair screens to keep mosquitos out of the house.
• Eliminate areas of standing water.
• Wear mosquito repellant when outdoors.
• Wear long sleeves and long pants during peak mosquito hours from dusk until dawn.
• Use mosquito netting on baby carriages.
For more detailed information, please call 978-282-8025 and listen to a recorded message, or visit the Gloucester Public Health Department’s website at http://www.gloucester-ma.gov.
To repeat, the city of Gloucester is taking precautionary measures to prevent mosquito borne illnesses and we are encouraging all residents to do the same.
Thank you for listening, and this concludes this message.
If anyone uses Go Daddy for their Website and email, Go Daddy is down everywhere so it is not just your site.
Good Morning Gloucester 