image of barnstable county courthouse

BCREPC Finalizes Nor’easter Storm Preparation

Media Alert 002:

Information from the Barnstable County Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC)         

BCREPC Finalizes Nor’easter Storm Preparation

Committee reviewed minor changes in storm track at 4:00 PM meeting

October 26, 2021 (Barnstable, MA) – The Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC), comprised of state, county, and local officials, first responders, emergency managers, elected officials, and other regional partners, met for the second time today on a remote call to finalize preparation for the Nor’easter storm impacting Massachusetts today and tomorrow. The next meeting will take place at 10:00 AM tomorrow morning.

OVERVIEW OF STORM

Winds are now expected to increase across the Cape and Islands slightly later than predicted, at approximately 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM. Winds are still expected to continue into Wednesday evening.

The strongest winds are forecasted to occur throughout the night into Wednesday morning.

  • Sustained winds 40- 55 mph on the Cape Cod and the Islands.
  • Maximum wind gusts expected to range from 65- 70 mph on most of the Cape Cod and the Islands
  • Provincetown may see wind gusts of 70- 75 mph

Periods of moderate to heavy rain are expected to continue, especially in the Bourne and Sandwich areas. Rainfall totals through Wednesday are expected to be anywhere from 1.5 to 3 inches with possible localized amounts of 3-5 inches. Rain will transition to lighter rain with occasional showers for Wednesday morning then diminish to isolated showers and finally end Wednesday afternoon.

While major coastal flooding will be avoided during this storm event, minor coastal flooding is still a concern, in addition to a risk for beach erosion into early Wednesday.

The storm is still expected to move offshore later Wednesday, and drier weather is expected Thursday.

PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY

  • Eversource, National Grid, Verizon, and Comcast are prepared for the storm and have secured additional external crews on the Cape and Islands able to respond to outages and handle storm-related damage afterward.
  • The Barnstable County Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC) activated at 4:00 PM today and is ready to help towns and local agencies with resources, information, and regional coordination during the storm. Representatives from Eversource, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Health and Medical Coordinating Coalitions (HMCC), and Meteorologist Frank O’laughlin will be present throughout the storm event.
  • Shelters continue to be on stand-by status. BCREPC will reassess the need for regional shelters during the storm and if needed will activate post-impact (after the storm passes).  Note: there are 6 regional shelters in our region, and a map is available on org

Wind gusts combined with abundant leaf top vegetation may result is downed power lines.  The public is strongly encouraged to prepare accordingly for the potential effects of this storm, including power outages.  If you are experiencing a power outage, contact Eversource directly.  Call 800-592-2000.

ABOUT BARNSTABLE COUNTY REGIONAL EMERGENCY PLANNING COMMITTEE: The Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC) is a coalition of 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 mission of the BCREPC is to harness the power of planning, cooperation, and interoperability to assist Cape Cod communities to mitigate the threat from any hazard which may require the response of multiple jurisdictions.