New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell is urging the public to be prepared for hurricane season, and he says the chance of an evacuation is higher than in the past.
“We've arrived at a point where there's a greater need for people to think about the possibility of an evacuation,” he said, due to more volatile weather and rising sea levels.
“It's kind of intuitive,” he said at a media briefing yesterday. “We watch the news. We see storms of greater force happening more frequently, here and everywhere else. And so, shame on us if we're not thinking about changing our approach, because the threat’s changed.”
Mitchell said the city has taken steps to prepare, such as by upgrading wastewater systems to reduce flooding, and by holding cross-agency planning exercises.
Brian Nobrega, the city’s emergency management director, said the city is ready to host a regional storm shelter at Keith Middle School, operated through the American Red Cross.
“So in the event that we had a hurricane, that's where New Bedford would lead the way in a regional response,” he said.
Mitchell said the public should have emergency supplies and decide where they and their pets can stay if they need to evacuate.
In addition to the hurricane barrier at New Bedford Harbor, the city has three street gates across low-lying roads. But he said the barrier will not prevent all losses in a major storm.
He advised residents to keep insurance policies current, and for those who live directly on the water, be ready to board up windows to protect your home.
The mayor also said he would welcome more opportunities to cooperate regionally on hurricane preparedness.
The last storm to hit New Bedford at hurricane force was Hurricane Bob in 1991.
Mitchell said it’s not a matter of if, but when, another hurricane will hit.
