Bedford Police and Public Works Faced Challenges Posed By Hurricane Sandy

By Kim Siebert MacPhail

Storm readiness was vital to keeping Bedford residents safe during Hurricane Sandy,say both Police Chief Robert Bongiorno and Public Works Director Rich Warrington. The Town’s Emergency Management Team, which includes the Police and DPW, were briefed by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) on Friday and kept abreast of storm reports as the situation unfolded over the weekend and into Monday and Tuesday. DPW preparations for the storm included filling sandbags, checking equipment readiness and securing fuel reserves;for the police, a major priority was scheduling extra dispatchers and patrol officers.

Chief Bongiorno reported that, during the 24 hour long height of the storm, the usual volume of 911 calls doubled to 4,851 calls.

“Most of the calls were about downed tree limbs and wires. Our primary function is to secure the scene and call NSTAR or whoever would handle the next level of response given the situation,” the Chief said.

With school cancelled and non-essential workers generally at home, traffic was minimal and the roads were clear for emergency vehicles.

Officers also went door-to-door to conduct well-being checks in neighborhoods where they had cause for concern; Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers were deployed following the storm on Hallowe’en night to make sure trick-or-treaters did not encounter problems on the debris-strewn streets and sidewalks.

This was the first major test of the Police Department’s use of social media in an emergency situation and Bongiorno says the feedback he’s received on his department’s outreach has been “overwhelmingly positive.” Residents were kept apprised by Twitter, Facebook, the police department’s website, and Nixle, a newly adopted texting communication tool for law enforcement and government agencies.

For Public Works, in any situation such as this, the department’s primary function is to keep the roads open for emergency vehicles, said Director Warrington. The DPW also maintains essential health-related systems, such as the water and sewer systems.

“A critical need in this storm was keeping the catch basins clear of leaves so the roads would drain properly and not flood homes. All our critical culverts and bridges were monitored. Downed trees were cut and pushed off the road for later collection and hauling. Trees hung up in electric wires were barricaded off until NStar responded. At this time we are working on the last few trees that are blocking roads,” Warrington said.

Flooding during this storm was minimal, Warrington said. “Most of the post-storm work will be in the form of extensive town-wide clean up along the roads, parks, school grounds, and town facilities. All of this material will eventually have to be chipped and composted,” he added.

Warrington also lamented the number of trees lost during the storm, including a precious Zelkova elm on Bedford Common, planted on Arbor Day twenty years ago.

“The total count of trees and major limbs [lost] is not yet tallied,” Warrington said,“but I am sure it will be the largest we have seen for a number of years. Due to the nature of the winds involved in this storm and the lack of snow, the impact was heaviest with large pines and deciduous trees that still had their leaves. This is when the hidden faults within tree’s structural integrity are revealed.”