In preparation for the 2011 hurricane season, emergency management directors (EMD) Richard Townes of Tisbury and Peter Martell of Oak Bluffs are asking for information this month from businesses and individuals that own heavy equipment. The information will be used to update the towns’ inventories of equipment that could be mobilized in the event of a disaster.
Mr. Townes and Mr. Martell said they are coordinating their emergency preparedness efforts in their role as EMDs in the two port towns that serve the Steamship Authority (SSA). In the event of a hurricane, both towns would be impacted by SSA vessels that transport vehicles and personnel for pre-staging equipment, as well as passengers departing the Island before a storm.
“The state has asked all town emergency management directors to compile a list of equipment that would be available in times of emergency to hire out,” Mr. Townes said. “For example, how many dump trucks, front-loaders, generators, forklifts, anything that could be used in an emergency. The state will have a database we’ll enter it into, and it will be constantly updated.”
The Tisbury and Oak Bluffs inventories will be maintained in a database in each town and accessible to EMDs Island-wide through mutual aid agreements.
Businesses or individuals in Tisbury and Oak Bluffs that own heavy equipment may contact Mr. Townes at 508-844-1585 or Mr. Martell at 508-693-6766.