image of barnstable county courthouse

BCREPC Continued Regional Response to Nor’easter

Media Alert 004

Information from the Barnstable County Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC)

BCREPC Continued Regional Response to Nor’easter

BCREPC meets at 4:30pm tocontinueassessingmulti-day storm event and its widespread impact

October 27, 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 thefourthtime thisafternoonon a remote call to assess widespread power outages and damageasa result ofthe nor’easter storm that continues to impact Cape Cod and the Islands. The next meeting will take placeat 10:00 AM tomorrow(10/28). 

OVERVIEW OF STORM

  • Although theofficialwind advisorywill expire this evening,windgusts ofup30 to 45 MPHare expected tocontinueacross theCape and IslandsthroughWednesday nightand into early Thursday morning.Stronger gusts between 50 and 60 MPH are possible on the outer-Cape.
  • Winds will slowly diminishovernight; Thursday is expected to be dryand breezy.
  • Minorto moderatecoastal flooding(betweenoneandthreefeetof inundation)is expected Wednesday evening inCape Cod Bay and Provincetown.Waterwill subside along withwinds and tidesovernight.

UTILITIES RESPOND TO STORM

  • Eversourceis still reporting widespreadoutages Cape-wide,as they focusprimarily onpublic safetywhich includes damage assessment and cleanup. Crewshave been dispatchedand will be working throughout the night,but the timeline for power restoration is still uncertain.
  • Power restoration effortswillprioritizeassisted living, skilled-nursing and long-term carefacilities, as well as schools. 
  • National Grid, Verizon, Comcast, and Open Capecontinue to respondto broken fiber issues that have led towirelessservice outages. 

SHELTERING  

  • The Barnstable County Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC)has openeda shelter at the Barnstable Intermediate Schoolat 895 Falmouth Road in Hyannis, effective 6pm on Wednesday.
  • The shelter, which is open to anyone who needs it,is supported by the Barnstable School District,Barnstable Police and Fire,Cape Cod Healthcare,the American Red Cross,AmericorpsCape Cod, the Cape Cod Medical Reserve CorpsandCape Cod DART.
  • Cape Cod Hospital isproviding nursing staffand food.
  • Additional sheltersthroughout the regioncontinue to be on stand-by. Emergency planning officials have been working to address sheltering needs as they arise, specifically concerning the potential for an extended outage.Note: there are six regional shelters in our region, and a map is available on bcrepc.org. 

THE PUBLIC IS URGED TO STAY OFF ROADS  

The public is being urged to stay off the roads unless driving is necessary to allow clean-up and line crews to work quickly and efficiently.  If you are experiencing a power outage, contact Eversource directlyat800-592-2000. 

ABOUT BARNSTABLE COUNTYREGIONAL 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.

###