High Noon

Town Manager John Musante seated left, Chief Scott Livingstone standing

UPDATE 6:00 PM
Methinks Irene is done, not that it seems she ever got started--at least not here in the Happy Valley. No complaints, however, none whatsoever.
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ORIGINAL POST 12:54 PM
So far so good; a few downed trees and limbs but nothing the DPW can't handle. The Town fired up the Emergency Operations Center at the police station (otherwise known as the "community room") with town manager John Musante, police, fire, DPW chiefs and even animal control officer Carol Hepburn huddled together so the decision makers are all in one room with phones/internet/TV, backed up by a generator.

Recent bulletin from the EOC:

Amherst Storm Update 3:00 PM Sunday August 28, 2011

- Heavy rain and winds will diminish this afternoon as the eye of the Tropical Storm passes thru MA to our west.
- Be Alert for downed trees and wires - Winds will gust to 40 mph this evening.
- Temporary Street Closures.
- Cottage Street at corner of Triangle Street (water)
- Pelham Road from Main/South East Streets to Amethyst Brook (water)
- Newell Court (tree).
- Mt. Pleasant Street (tree).
- East Leverett Road from Leverett Road to Teewaddle Road (water)
- To report a downed tree, call Amherst DPW at 259-3050. Be specific with location (i.e. house number).
- WMECO reports 101 Amherst customers without power (1% of Amherst customers).
- To report a power outage, call Western Mass Electric Co. (WMECO) 413-781-4300.

Sunday noon town center peace protest

Geese seem unconcerned

Near miss

Amherst dodges another bullet

Epilogue: So here it is 9:15 PM and my friends at the Springfield Republican still have not covered this rather important piece of news. Umass sent out perhaps 15,000 emails to staff and students yesterday and posted the potentially catastrophic news on their main website as did the town of Amherst at about 3:30 PM and it took both the Gazette and Republican till almost midnight to get it up on their websites. Inexcusable.

And only now at this late hour has the Gazette put up a "breaking" news story telling readers that boiling water is not necessary. It broke...a long time ago.

Town officials disappointed me a tad as well. They obviously knew I--the only reporter who took enough interest to show up-- was sitting out in the hallway waiting for the results, which they had around 1:15 PM.

I actually thought I heard clapping in the room about that time but it was muffled and a young college student who was waiting to report a stolen Mac laptop was distracting me. At 1:20 PM they send out the reverse 911 robocall from Town Manager John Musante saying the coast is clear. Info Tech Director Kris Pacunas had told me earlier that it only takes a few seconds to make that happen. Then at 1:31 PM the town website is updated with the news. SB Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe even emailed a few folks at 1:40 PM to give them the news. Meanwhile I'm pacing the hallway ten feet away worried I'll get a parking ticket. As Rodney Dangerfield would say, "I don't get no respect!"
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Liveblog: Arrived Police Station town center 11:45 AM

UPDATE: 1:47 PM Water tested safe. I'll drink to that!

12:04 We will know any minute now.

Town officials are hunkered down in the war room: new phones brought in, a couple hardwired computers (for Internet, since the anticipated results will be emailed). Stephanie O'Keeffe Select Board Chair and Town Manager John Musante just arrived. Guilford Mooring DPW Chief, has been here for a while. Fire and police officials of course (we are, after all, at the Police Station.) Kris Pacunas, Director of Technology.

12:17 PM Still waiting out in the lobby. Yeah, they threw me out of the war room.

12:24 PM Dave Ziomek, Conservation Chief, just left the room saying he was "the runner."

12:26 PM He just returned, and I asked if the "Results were in?". "No", he replied

12:47 PM Still nada. And my battery is running low. Wonder if they're serving coffee in there?

12:58 PM GRRrrrrrrr...

1:14 PM I just noticed the change the time on the town website to say after 1:00 PM for info up from 12:30 PM. Not sure what the hell is taking so long.

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