Earl Still Powerful Storm; Mass. Leaders Taking Precautions

(NECN: Josh Brogadir, Framingham, Mass.) - People across New England are gearing up for Hurricane Earl.

They are taking measures to ensure that they are prepared for the storm.

Earl may not be category 3 Earl any longer, but it's still a powerful storm that has Massachusetts leaders taking extra precautions.

"The national guard is ready, extra troopers are in place," said Governor Deval Patrick who held a mid-day briefing at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency bunker in Framingham - speaking about how the federal government stepped in as the storm had the Cape and Islands in its direct sights.

He addressed reporters alongside former Boston EMS chief and current FEMA Deputy Administrator Rich Serino.

They spoke about the unprecedented level of cooperation between state and federal authorities.

Down the hall, in the MEMA war room, members of the operations support group worked the phones during an afternoon conference call, as emergency workers monitored the hurricane's track. 

Even with a weakened storm, leaders emphasized the warnings are not to be ignored.

Governor Patrick does plan to be on the Cape or the Islands tomorrow to assess the damage.

He told reporters where the storm damage is the worst, is where he'll go.

Click here to hear more from Governor Deval Patrick.

Click here to hear more from the MEMA/FEMA news conference.

Click here for a list of shelters.

Cape Cod and nearby islands are the only parts of Massachusetts still under a hurricane warning -- expected to get a glancing blow from a weakening Hurricane Earl.

Copyright NECNMIGR - NECN
Contact Us