Description

TownGreen Emergency Preparedness Programs Will Prepare Cape Ann Residents for a Storm; Features Police and Fire Chiefs

Gloucester, MA: It is essential to be prepared for a climate-related event, whether it is a hurricane, nor’easter, or an extreme rain event with flooding, especially in winter. Cape Ann residents need to know about their municipality’s plans and evacuation routes, where to find more information on emergency shelters, and how municipalities will get the word out.

TownGreen is hosting two public programs to inform Cape Ann residents:

● How Will Cape Ann Respond to A Natural Disaster? Webinar: Wednesday, September 25th, 6:30-7:30pm on Zoom, Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtdeGrqz0uGtT-qBX9UpXB594MThWYL9R1#/registration
● Make an Emergency Plan Workshop: Wednesday, October 2nd, 6:30-7:30pm at Manchester-by-the-Sea American Legion Amaral-Bailey Post 113 14 Church Street, Register:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUNz_RzuEfshT_X8iKaH3QZlxTCi9QSWrjBlboCvLt8GPrdw/viewform

These programs are free. Pre-registration is recommended, but people can also just show up and sign in.

How Will Cape Ann Respond to A Natural Disaster? Webinar

This informational webinar will present Cape Ann weather-related emergency scenarios for which residents need to be prepared: before the storm, during the storm, and recovering from a storm. Guest speakers will range from police and fire chiefs from Cape Ann, an emergency management director from Gloucester, and a representative from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).

Featured speakers include:

● Todd Fitzgerald, Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Chief
● Jake McNeilly, Manchester-by-the-Sea Fire Chief
● Paul Francis, Town of Essex Police Chief
● Ramie Reader, Town of Essex Fire Chief
● John Horvath, Rockport Police Chief
● Collin Buckner, Assistant Emergency Management Director and Compliance Officer,

City of Gloucester

● Matthew Kolhonen, MEMA representative

The Chiefs will provide an overview of the June 2024 Cape Ann tabletop exercise that identified the communities’s strengths and identified gaps. What will be covered:

● Evacuations routes
● Shelter and transit plans for a major hurricane, Nor’easters, and winter storms
● Emergency messaging, with an emphasis on heeding the call to evacuate and unified messaging for local and regional communications

MEMA representative, Matthew Kolhonen, will give a presentation on how the state responds to local natural disasters. A panel of leaders will discuss local responses to a storm and answer questions from the moderator.

Make an Emergency Plan Workshop

● Todd Fitzgerald, Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Chief
● Jake McNeilly, Manchester-by-the-Sea Fire Chief
● Kyle McWilliam-Lopez, Executive Director, American Red Cross Northeast, MA

Participants will learn how to:

● Complete an emergency plan
● Identify and think through a place to evacuate to, such as staying with family members or locating a hotel
● Review a checklist on what to bring if an evacuation is determined
● Check-in with neighbors who might need help
● Locate important local information and resources