Canton Storm Info Center: Numbers to Keep on Hand During Hurricane Sandy

Update (3:20 p.m.) - The Canton Police Department reported a large tree down on York Brook Road.

As of 3:24 p.m., NSTAR reported that 77 customers in Canton were without power.

Update (11:50 a.m.) - Schools in Canton will remain closed Monday due to Hurricane Sandy; all after-school activities, practices, games and events are also cancelled.

State office buildings will closed Monday, as will municipal offices in Canton.

Original Story (posted 5:45 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 29):

Last year at this time Canton faced an October snow storm that, while unusual, brought forth a bit of an early winter headache for those around town.

Now, as Hurricane Sandy moves toward the southern shore of New England, local residents should rememer that call volume to emergency workers skyrockets during major storms.

Canton officials posted the following notice on the town website regarding the storm:

The Town of Canton continues to prepare for the potential Hurricane or Tropical Storm Sandy. At the current time, the forecast is for the storm to arrive later on Monday into Tuesday.  Depending on the storm path and timing, severe weather including heavy wind and rain and potential power outages due to downed trees may be experienced. Please take time in advance and during the storm to stay informed by monitoring media updates. In advance of the storm please consult the Town web site town.canton.ma.us for valuable emergency planning information which is located under the emergency planning guide link. Also have available a well‐stocked family emergency kit, clear downspouts and drains, secure outdoor items such as lawn furniture, elevate items in your basement to avoid contact with possible flooding, keep vehicles fueled, and have cash on hand as electronic access to cash may be impacted if power outages occur. In the event of an emergency please call 911. The Town will deploy additional staff to meet the storm response as needed and we will use the notification system to notify residents of local emergency conditions.

Those residents in Canton who do not wish to receive a message or simply wish to listen to the last notification message can call 339-502-5711.

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

• Canton Police business line: 781-821-5090
• Canton Department of Public Works: 781-821-5023
• Canton Emergency Management: 
• NSTAR outage reporting: 1-800-592-2000
• National Grid outage reporting: 1-800-465-1212
• Verizon: 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966)
• Comcast: 1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278)

In emergency situations, however, residents should not hesitate to call 9-1-1.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has sent out a list of actions that people can take to minimize the potential damage from this storm, including:

• Make sure you have a well-stocked family disaster kit in the event you lose power or are isolated for a number of days.
• Bring in outdoor items such as lawn furniture, trash barrels, hanging plants, toys and awnings that can be broken or picked up by strong winds and used as a missile.
• Elevate articles in your basement that could be damaged from even minor flooding.
• Keep you vehicles fully fuelled.
• Have a certain amount of cash available. If power is lost, ATMs may not be working.
• Learn where gas pilots and water mains are located and how to safely shut off all utilities.
• Lock doors and windows to ensure that they are closed tight to help protect against strong winds and rain.
• Download the free ping4alert! app to your Smartphone to receive important weather alerts and messages from MEMA. 
• Easy instructions are available at www.mass.gov/mema/mobileappp.

Power outage in your neighborhood? Tree fallen or other impediments in a local roadway? Flash flooding? Share your information with Norwood Patch and your neighbors here, or on our Facebook page.