Mass State Police Begin Preparations for Major Blizzard
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Monday, January 26, 2015
GoLocal Worcester News Team
The Massachusetts State Police have begun taking measures to prepare for the upcoming storm that will arrive Monday evening.
In order to prepare, the State Police have done the following:
1. Specialized equipment to assist in traversing areas with deep snow or flooding has been prepositioned in key locations
2. Commanders of each of the five geographic Troops, as well as commanders of the two Troops serving Logan Airport/Worcester Airport/Boston Seaport and the Massachusetts Turnpike, will continually assess weather, road conditions, and hazardous situations.
3. The State Police Field Services Division, which encompasses all road patrols, will be supplemented by troopers from the other divisions (Investigative Services, Standards and Training, and Administrative Services). These supplementary troopers will perform patrol and rescue response duties for the duration of the storm.
4. The State Police Communications Section, which runs several emergency call-centers and public safety answering points throughout the state and accepts most cellular phone 911 calls, will be at maximum staffing, prepared to answer thousands of calls.
5. State Police commanders continue to coordinate closely with counterparts at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, the Massachusetts National Guard, and other partner agencies to provide a comprehensive response to maximize the safety of the state’s citizens.
6. State Police Media Relations will alert the public to significant developments or emerging hazards through its communication with the state’s media outlets, as well as through the department’s social media platforms, including @MassStatePolice on Twitter and Facebook.com/MassStatePolice. Alerts will also be sent to subscribers to the MSP’s smartphone application, which can be found by searching applications for Mass SP.
Related Slideshow: The 10 Worst Blizzards in Central MA History
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#10 Blizzard of February 2006
Dates: February 11-13, 2006
Accumulation: Approximately 22 inches
This Nor'easter interrupted everybody's Valentine's Day plans, and resulted in coastal flooding and heavy snow.
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#9 Blizzard of December 2010
Dates: December 22-29, 2010
Accumulation: Approximately 24 inches
A State of Emergency was declared in Boston when this Christmas storm hit and kept families home for the holidays. Worcester saw two feet of snow during this white Christmas.
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#8 NEMO 2013
Dates: February 7-18, 2013
Accumulation: Approximately 25 inches
NEMO singlehandedly shut down every road in Worcester. Dropping more than two feet of snow in the city, a driving ban was put into effect.
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#7 Nor'Easter of '69
Dates: February 8-10, 1969
Accumulation: Approximately 26 inches
Bryan Adams didn't write a song about Nor'Easter of '69 because it would have been miserable to listen to. Even worse to experience.
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#6 Blizzard of February 2003
Dates: February 14-19, 2003
Accumulation: Approximately 27.5 inches
This storm interrupted both Valentine's Day and President's Day. Named 'President's Day Storm II,' this storm set a record in Boston with more than 27 inches.
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#5 Blizzard of January 1996
Dates: January 6-10, 1996
Accumulation: Approximately 30 inches
Not even a week into 1996, this storm blanketed parts of Massachusetts with upwards of 30 inches of snow. It is one of two blizzards to receive an “extreme” rating on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale.
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#4 Blizzard of February 1978
Dates: February 5-7, 1978
Accumulations: Approximately 32 inches
Many in the Worcester area argue that this is the worst storm the city has ever seen. 73 people in Massachusetts died because of this storm. At the time, it set a Boston record for 32 inches of snow over a 2 day period.
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#3 April Fool's Blizzard of 1997
Dates: March 30 - April 1, 1997
Accumulations: Approximately 33 inches
This storm wasn't messing around with anyone. Over three days, and ending on April Fool's Day, the storm dropped 33 inches of snow on Central MA.
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#2 Blizzard of January 2005
Dates: January 20-23, 2005
Accumulations: Approximately 40 inches
This three-day storm droppped nearly 40 inches of snow in Central Massachusetts over a 3 day period.
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#1 Great Blizzard of 1888
Dates: March 11-14, 1888
Accumulations: Approximately 50 inches
One of the most severe recorded blizzards in the history of the United States, this superstorm dumped as much as 50 inches of snow in parts of Massachusetts. It affected the entire country.
In New York City, they suffered so much damage to power lines and cables, that this storm single handedly is responsible for implementing running cable underground.
(Stereoview picture of Grand Street in New Britain, Connecticut, published by F. W. Allderige in 1888)
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