Walpole's Guide to Hurricane Sandy

Check back here for updates on the storm that affect Walpole. We will be updating this article regularly throughout the storm.

7:00 a.m.- There are currently 500 power outages in Walpole, 5-percent of 10,255 NSTAR customers.

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7:00 a.m.- Looking like Walpole will have school today as there is no announcement to say otherwise on the district's website. patch.com/A-zfLn

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Here are 5 Things You Need to Know for Tuesday

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11:57 p.m.- Okay folks, I hope everyone is safe out there. I'm going to call it a night. Check back in tomorrow for the latest updates on the storm.

As of 11:45 p.m. Walpole's outages were at 953, according to NSTAR's outage map.

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11:00 p.m.- Outages in Walpole up to 616.

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10:35 p.m.- Update: Walpole Schools Will Be Open Tuesday

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10:25 p.m.- Walpole Town Administrator's update

Good Evening,

With the majority of the storm now behind us, we have transitioned our EOC back to the Walpole Police Dispatch. At this time, the EOC is in a stand-down status. NSTAR still has pockets of outages in Town, and they continue to work on the North Street issue. They are hopeful to have that back in service by dawn. The road is passable on a limited basis at this time, but buses will not be able to get by until the line crews have completed their work. Once that is online, they will have only have Spring Valley Drive at Lewis Ave and the very end of Glendale Road (dead end) as traffic obstructions. NSTAR informs me that they have dispatched a crew to that incident.

I have just spoken with Superintendent Lynch to update him on the status. Unless otherwise notified, Schools will be open tomorrow. He will check on the status of any school power outages and/or major road closures with the Police Dispatch at 5:00 a.m. to see if there needs to be a change to this plan. Town Hall and Town Offices will be open tomorrow.

Tomorrow we will plan out a course of action for any clean-up work. I expect that the Compost Site will be open extended hours for the balance of this week and into the weekend. More to come on that.

Thank you!

Michael

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9:41 p.m.- Walpole has 521 outages reported, down to just 5-percent without power.

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9:41 p.m.- Walpole Rec: "It is 9:33 p.m. and the EOC has closed. Please refer all communications to Walpole Police Dispatch."

Thanks to everyone at the EOC for the hard work in town today! -BP

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9:22 p.m.- The Walpole Emergency Operations Center will be transitioning back to Police Dispatch between 9:30 - 10:00 p.m. tonight.

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8:55 p.m.-

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8:23 p.m.- Walpole Schools Supt. Lincoln Lynch said the decision to have school Tuesday is "too soon to call. Looks good, but final call at 5 a.m."

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7:35 p.m.- Walpole Rec says: "Looks like Walpole will be getting heavy rain for the next few hours. Please be aware of the potential for flooding."

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7:31 p.m.- Walpole TA Boynton is expecting Town Offices to open as normal tomorrow. But said that could change.

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7:24- p.m.- "Superintendent Lynch will be checking in at approximately 8PM to review where we are for school openings tomorrow," said Walpole TA Boynton

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7:23 p.m.- Walpole's Emergency Operations Center "will remain operational through at least 9PM." Boynton said.

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7:18- p.m. A large transmission line came down into a roadway in South Walpole causing a majority of the 1,267 outages in town, Walpole TA Boynton said

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7:16- p.m.- Crews still working on North Street, Baker Street, Plimpton Street, Washington Street and Glendale Road, according to Walpole TA Boynton.

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6:57 p.m.- Plimpton St. has reopened, according to Walpole Rec.

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6:55 p.m.- 1,150 Walpole outages now.

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6:38 p.m.- Walpole's outages leap to 1,642, 16-percent of the town.

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5:54 p.m.- Outages jump up to 648 in Walpole.

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5:40 p.m.- Walpole Rec: "Hearing reports of a tree down on Baker St. out by Walpole Country Club that is making the road impossible."

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5:30 p.m.- Walpole power outages up to 594.

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5:19 p.m.- Outages in Walpole dropping, down 471 at the moment.

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5:16 p.m.- From Walpole Rec: "Hearing that the South Walpole outage is related to the transformer down on Washington St. Hearing that it is being worked on."

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5:00 p.m.- Walpole power outages down to 531 in town.

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4:50 p.m.- According to NSTAR's outage map, outages are at 763 at the moment.

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4:45 p.m.- From Walpole Rec: Sandy Update: Winds in Walpole at 35 mph, gusting to 40 mph. We have had 1 inch of rain as of 4:40 p.m.

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4:39 p.m.- Tree down near the intersection of School St. and Stone St. Traffic is down to one lane.

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4:33 p.m.- Walpole power outages jumped to 878.

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A photo of power lines on fire on Washington Street from Twitter. pic.twitter.com/cNEfNDjt

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4:23 p.m.- From Walpole Deputy Police Chief John Carmichael: "There are trees down everywhere throughout town, wires down as well. No real flooding yet and no injuries related to storm. The fires we are dealing with are related to wires and transformers down."

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4:21 p.m.- 551 power outages currently in Walpole.

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4:20 p.m.- Walpole TA Michael Boynton: "The most important thing: Do not go out driving."

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4:20 p.m.- Walpole TA Michael Boynton: "A lot of trees down, a lot of wires down, a lot of transformer fires." There are about 6-12 incidnces right now.

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4:12 p.m.- From Walpole Rec: Report of a transformer on the ground at 1652 Washington St. Be careful. Walpole Fire Department is on the way.

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4:03 p.m- 454 outages now reported in Walpole. Outages increasing by the minute.

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3:57 p.m.- From Walpole Rec: Update near 1115 North St.: Reports of a transformer fire. Walpole Police and Fire are on the way. Please avoid the area.

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3:52 p.m.- 432 power outages in Walpole out of 10,255 NSTAR customers. Only 4-percent of the town.

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3:46 p.m.- From Walpole Rec: "Wind in Walpole is over 40 mph with gusts to 45 mph. Total rain is 0.85 inches as of 3:45 p.m."

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3:33 p.m.- Power outages in Walpole up to 425, slowly growing.

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3:17 p.m.- Report of a tree down, blocking road and power out on Glendale Ave.

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330 Coney Street has been cleared, according to @walpolerec.

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407 power outages in Walpole now, according to NSTAR's outage map.

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Follow Patch's Hurricane Sandy Live Blog to stay informed about the area around Walpole. http://walpole.patch.com/articles/hurricane-sandy-massachusetts-live-blog-e3bcf0ce

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2:53 p.m.- 387 outages in Walpole now.

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Update from NSTAR on Hurricane Sandy http://patch.com/A-zdJm

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2:33 p.m.- 384 power outages now in Walpole, according to the NSTAR outage map.

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2:18 p.m.- 369 outages reported in Walpole.

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2:16 p.m.- From Walpole Rec: "Report of limb in the wires near 90 Lewis Ave. Power out in the area."

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2:04 p.m.- 360 power outages in Walpole now.

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2:01 p.m.- MBTA service is now closed for the day.

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From Walpole Rec: "We have had reports in Walpole of wind gusts at 39 mph. Current rain total is 0.60 inches. Officer on Coney St. will be blocking one lane of traffic."

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Walpole Supt. Lynch on rumors that school is closed tuesday: "It is not true. A decision will be made by about 5 AM tomorrow."

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1:52 p.m.- From @WalpoleRec- Report of a tree in the power lines near 330 Coney St. Please be careful. A police officer is on the way.
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Walpole now has 359 outages.

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Apparently there is a photoshopped photo going around that says that school is cancelled Tuesday. The decision has NOT been made to cancel.

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1:38 p.m.- 33 power outages in Walpole now.

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Walpole TA Michael Boynton's Monday storm update.

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1:28 p.m.- Just checked and the decision to cancel school Tuesday has not been made yet.

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All Walpole Council on Aging Activities scheduled for Monday, October 29 and Tuesday, October 30 are cancelled.

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NSTAR just updated their outage map. Only 9 outages in Walpole down from 368.

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Hearing word that Walpole Schools may be cancelled on Tuesday. Working on confirming.

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1:02 p.m.- Walpole now has 368 people without power.

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1:00 p.m. - Got word that the Pemberton and High Street area in Walpole is without power. Let us know where you don't have power. Also, if you lose power we will be updating our Facebook page and Twitter account throughout the day.

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12:51 p.m.- NSTAR outage map says there are now 52 Walpole residents without power.

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At the Walpole Mall, most of the bigger stores will be closed around 1 or 2 p.m.

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12:20 p.m.- Just checked again and there is only one person without power in Walpole, according to NSTAR's outage map. However, nearby Millis has over 700 people affected.

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As of 9:48 a.m., Walpole has 2 NSTAR customers affected by the storm according to their outage map. http://outagemap.nstar.com/outage/OutageMap.aspx

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The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will be activated at 10 a.m. and the number is (508)-660-6355.

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Trash Pickup- Walpole Town Administrator Michael Boynton said that there will be trash pick up Monday. "The hauler will be done by early afternoon and will also retrace the route tomorrow assuming all operations are uninterrupted.  We are asking residents to bring their barrels in from the street as soon as the collection time is completed," he said.

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A Message from Walpole Police:

"It still appears the brunt of the storm will be hitting the area around noon time.  Extra officers and personnel have been deployed as well as the other town departments. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will be activated at 10 a.m. and the number is (508)-660-6355. The emergency shelter will also be activated and is designated at the Senior Center at Town Hall w/the overflow at the Library. Other than that, we are ready and prepared to adapt to the storm in whatever means necessary!," said Deputy Cheif John Carmichael.

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Storm Guide

Hurricane Sandy or "Frankenstorm" looks as if it will have an impact on our community, beginning Monday.

The National Weather Service is predicting winds between 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 70 mph - strong enough to cause significant power outages throughout the area.

The town of Walpole has provided a link on its website to provide helpful hurricane and flood information to residents. Click here to review the links of information provided by the town.

To be safe residents should follow these practices:

During and After the Storm

Use common sense

• Stay inside unless absolutely necessary per Governor Deval Patrick
• Do not use generators indoors
• Do not go near or touch ANYTHING near or around downed wires
• Conserve battery usage
• Only open refrigerators & freezers when absolutely necessary to help preserve food longer
• Check in on your neighbors, especially the elderly and disabled
• Stay away from small streams and moving water during a flood

If the Power Goes out

Dealing with downed wires:

• Assume all downed wires are energized
• Call 911 if you see or know of downed wires
• Stay away from downed wires
• Do not touch trees, fences or any objects near downed wires as they may be energized

Reporting an outage:

• DO NOT CALL 911 for a power outage
• CALL National Grid outage reporting: 1-800-465-1212
• Contact verizon and comcast at 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966) or 1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278)

If you are on Oxygen and lose power to your oxygen concentrator:

• Use a back up oxygen tank
• Call the Fire Department before you run out of oxygen.

Trash Pick Up to Run on Regular Schedule

Walpole's trash schedule will run as usual Monday, Oct. 29.

Walpole TA Michael Boynton said, "The hauler will be done by early afternoon and will also retrace the route tomorrow assuming all operations are uninterrupted. We are asking residents to bring their barrels in from the street as soon as the collection time is completed."

Text National Grid to Receive Storm Updates

Text: STORM to National Grid (64743) to get text alerts from the utility company.

Non-Emergency Numbers to Keep on Hand

The following is a partial list of phone numbers to call related to specific problems you may have:

• Walpole Police business line: 508-668-1212
• Walpole Department of Public Works: 508-660-7305
• National Grid outage reporting: 1-800-465-1212
• NSTAR: outage reporting: 1-800-592-2000
• Columbia Gas: 1-800-688-6160
• Verizon: 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966)
• Comcast: 1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278)

All emergency situations, however, residents should be reported to  9-1-1.

Seven Smartphone Apps to Use During Hurricane Sandy:

Here's a list of some helpful apps to have on you smartphone as Hurricane Sandy bears down on Boston.

• Ping4Alerts: This is the newly released and heavily promoted app from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Get weather updates and other vital storm-related updates from the agency that is in charge of handling storm response in the Commonwealth. Available for iOS and Android.
• American Red Cross: This is the number one spot to find local shelters if you need it with the Shelters app and send out information via social networks to tell your friends and family you are safe with the Huricane App (for iOS and Android). In all, the Red Cross offers a total of five first aid and storm-related apps.
• Radar: Both NECN and WHDH have great weather-only app (NECN for iOS and Android and WHDH for iOS) and most other local news channels have live radar and other local forecast info as part of their news app, including WBZ, WCVB and WFXT. Both WCVB and WFXT also have apps for Blackberry. Track the storm on radar and get updated forecasts on the track and the storm’s impact.
• Patch: Your No. 1 spot for all the local info you need. Download the Patch app and select Foxborough Patch to stay in touch with what is happening with the storm close to home.
• FEMA: The Federal Emergency Management Authority app (for iOS and Android) gives you plenty of great advice on how to get ready for the storm and what to do to stay safe as it bears down, plus weather updates.
• Flashlight: You’ve been told to have battery-power lights and candle at the ready, but the phone is your pocket is a flashlight too. Download this app (for iOS, Android and Blackberry) to turn the flash on your Smartphone camera into a flashlight. There are a variety of free apps that do this.
• TuneIn Radio: This app is great to listen to the “radio” near and far (for iOS, Android and Blackberry). Get local news and information from radio stations close to home, but if you are interested in how other areas are faring you can check out stations from the South Coast, Connecticut and New York City too. Just watch your data use if you have plan limits and you are streaming on the cell network.