[10:00 AM | August 21, 2021] Media Alert 002: Information from Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC) Hurricane Henri Update
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BCREPC Convened at 10:00 AM on Saturday August 21 to Review Hurricane Henri Updates and Regional Response Planning
August 21, 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 this morning to discuss the changes in storm guidance for Hurricane Henri. The next meeting will take place at 4:00 PM today.
Overnight, the Tropical Storm Warning for Cape Cod and the Islands had been removed, as well as the Hurricane Watch, however Henri has now been upgraded to Hurricane status as of 11:00 AM, and the Tropical Storm Warning is back in place for Cape Cod and the Islands.
Although it appears the storm is tracking further east, and rain will mostly miss our region, the Cape and Islands are still expected to experience storm force winds of up to 55 mph gusts in some areas and storm surge up to 3-5 feet. The BCREPC wants residents to know that there is still a significant risk for severe weather and they are asked to prepare for impacts.
The timing on largest impact for our region is likely to begin early morning Sunday at around 8:00 AM. Check www.bcrepc.org for updates.
The following preparations are currently underway:
- Eversource, National Grid, Verizon, and Comcast are poised and prepared for the storm, all with additional crews on the Cape and Islands able to handle storm related damage, if necessary.
- Based on the change in forecast and the decrease in concern for flooding and potential evacuation needs, shelter preparation is now on stand-by status and shelters will not be opening pre-impact. BCREPC will reassess during the storm/post-impact, and shelters will open, if necessary. Note: there are 6 shelters in our region, and a map is available on org
- The Massachusetts Emergency Management EOC partially activated this morning and will be fully activated tomorrow. A Cape Cod emergency traffic plan has been stood up and emergency resources have been staged at Joint Base Cape Cod.
- The Barnstable County Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC) is currently on stand-by and anticipates activating Sunday morning to be ready to help towns and local agencies with resources, information, and regional coordination during the storm. The MACC has sourced additional PPE in the event shelters need to be opened and have also sourced additional sandbags if towns require those.
The public is strongly encouraged to prepare accordingly for the potential effects of Hurricane Henri. Personal preparedness tips and informational storm preparedness resources are provided at www.bcrepc.org. We encourage all resident and visitors to build a kit, plan, and stay informed.
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.
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