BCREPC Media Release 

Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee

Media Release 03 – July Tornado

July 24, 2019

For Immediate Release

Power restoration efforts continue, an estimate of global restoration time released, emergency shelter to remain open

BARNSTABLE (MA) July 24, 2019 – The Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning (BCREPC) Committee held a conference call at 4 p.m. on Wednesday to review recovery efforts after Tuesday’s devastating tornado.

During the call, electric utilityEversource reported that 24,000 people are still without power but with 950 crews at work clearing closed roads and repairing the distribution system the estimated time of global restoration is Friday at 6 p.m.The latest Eversource power outage information is available at https://outagemap.eversource.com

Multi-agency Coordination Center (MACC)

At the County level, recovery operations are coordinated by the REPC’s Multi-agency Coordination Center (MACC) operated by the Barnstable County All Hazards Incident Management Team (BCIMT).

The BCIMT opened the MACC shortly after the tornado hit and it has been in continuous operation since then, staffed with personnel from the BCIMT, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, AmeriCorps, Eversource, National Grid, Verizon, and Massachusetts Health and Medical Coordinating Coalition Region 5.

The MACC assists Cape Cod towns during regional emergencies by serving as a clearinghouse for regional resource requests. When regional resources are unavailable or exhausted, the MACC elevates requests for assistance to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). In addition to handling resources requests, the MACC is also responsible for supporting the Barnstable Country Regional Emergency Shelter System.

Emergency Shelter Update

In the case of this incident, the BCREPC opted to open one shelter at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Over Tuesday night the shelter played host to 2 citizens and assisted a number of others with phone recharging and home oxygen requirements. The shelter will remain open over Wednesday night with a determination to be made on Thursday regarding ongoing operations.

Shelter operations are made possible by the partnership of a number of agencies including Yarmouth-Dennis Community Emergency Response Team, the American Red Cross, Cape Cod Medical Reserve Corps, Cape Cod Disaster Animal Response Team, AmeriCorps, Cape Cod Healthcare, Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, and the Salvation Army with its mobile feeding assets.

Safety Tips

The BCREPC urges citizens to avoid downed power lines, poles, and trees because of the risk of electric shock. Those with generators should ensure they are well ventilated and never placed inside a basement or garage. Anyone planning to uproot a stump or tree should call Dig Safe at 811 to ensure there no gas lines or electric cables in the area.

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Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC)

The BCREPC was founded in September 2002 to assist the communities on Cape Cod and the Town of Nantucket with addressing hazardous materials emergency planning and response as required by the federal government. Today, the BCREPC has expanded its scope to include “All Hazard” emergency planning issues such as storm response, sheltering and grants management. The BCREPC is a coalition of emergency management, law enforcement, fire service, health care, public health, public works, EMS, military, and numerous other affiliated agencies as outlined by the Massachusetts State Emergency Response Committee (SERC). It represents the towns of Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Chatham, Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Harwich, Mashpee, Orleans, Provincetown, Sandwich, Truro, Wellfleet, and Yarmouth in Barnstable County, and the town of Nantucket in Nantucket County. The REPC is coordinated by the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment. Visit www.bcrepc.org

Barnstable County All Hazards Incident Management Team

The Barnstable County All Hazards Incident Management Team operates the MACC under the authority of the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee. A component of the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee, the Barnstable County All Hazards Incident Management Team was established in 2005 is composed of volunteers from both the public and private sectors. The highly trained team follows FEMA Incident Command System (ICS) standards and operates within the framework of the National Incident Management System (NIMS).