June 21, 2025 • 16 mins
We're a few weeks into hurricane season. Have you gone over what's in your "go bag", or double checked your evacuation zone? Not quite sure where to begin to make sure you're prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at us? Dawn Brantley, the Director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, returns to the show to talk with Nichole about what you should focus on for your preps, and how cuts in federal funding for disaster response could impact our region.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
We're each and every week right here. We come together,
we talk about all the topics important to you and
the place where you live. Thanks for being with us
again this week, and happy summer to you. I'm Nicole Davis.
When it comes to hurricanes in our neck of the woods,
over the past few years, we've been in pretty good shape.
(00:28):
In fact, it's been quite some time since we were
hit directly by a storm. I'm talking since nineteen ninety
one when Hurricane Bob hit. Still, we have had some
strong storms skirt on by, and we definitely saw last
year what hurricanes are capable of now, aline devastating parts
of the southeast. No matter where you live in New England,
it is always important to be prepared. Over at the
(00:49):
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, they've got a team that knows
all about that sort of thing. Back on the show
with us this week is Don Brentley. She is the
director of MIMA. She's been here before. Don, it's great
to have you back. I want to start with this
because speaking of those inland hurricanes like Helene, I feel
like there's this belief that if you live in say
(01:09):
Worcester County or in the Berkshires, maybe the mountains that
you can't be impacted by hurricanes, but that's.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Not so Oh, that's such a great question, Nicole, Thank you.
And I run into this frequently. Before I was in Massachusetts,
I was in Virginia, which is much farther down in
the hurricane coast, and we ran into this there as well.
But the fact is is that hurricanes can be hundreds
of miles wide and when they come ashore where they
(01:37):
make landfall, they're going to impact the coastline. But they're
also going to impact a large portion of all of
New England and not just Massachusetts. So we will frequently
with hurricanes see inland flooding, flash flooding and tornadoes, and
tornadoes are a very common occurrence while a hurricane is
(01:57):
passing over. So it's important that no matter how far
away from the water from the coastline you live, that
you are considering the fact that you need to be
aware of the weather and any incoming potential tropical storms
and hurricanes and take the steps that you would normally
do for anything like wind, tornadoes and flooding normally.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yeah, and honestly, with the impacts of climate change, we're
hearing from forecasters that these storms are only getting stronger,
like we saw even Inland when it came to the
hurricane what it was a Hellene last year.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yes, that hurricane. It was just so incredible because most
of the impact was inland, away from the coasts, across
five states. It was. It was just absolutely devastating. And
Nova Scotia, even in the last three or four years,
has been hit twice by hurricanes and tropical storms. A
few years ago, Ireland was hit. So our climate is
(02:56):
changing as the water's warm in the Bay, and so
we need to be aware that hurricanes are going to
maintain their strength farther up the coastline. They're going to
maintain their speed, and they are going to happen, and
they're going to reach Massachusetts more frequently than we have
seen historically for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
And you don't need a Category four or five to
see some damage from these storms. Even just a Cat
one or two can do some damage.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Absolutely. Cat one and two would still be very catastrophic
for Massachusetts, in all of New England, and it will
will have an impact on businesses, on homes, on renters,
will it can disrupt the supply chain. So the threat
really is, the risk is really very real, and it's
(03:40):
growing year over year.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I think that there is a question. You know, obviously
we're not going to get political here or anything, but
there is a real threat to state funds right now
when it comes to emergency management. And I've been asked
this personally by a couple of people. Is NIMA dealing
with any sort of lack of federal assistance to get
ready for the hurricane season or what's the status right
now as we go into this summer.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I get that question a lot too. As you can imagine, Nicole,
we are keeping a very close eye on what's happening
at the federal level. We are in pretty constant contact
with our partners at FEMA Region One, who I have
to say have been really tremendous, very understanding about just
the impact that all of the uncertainty, the rapid changes
(04:24):
you know, back and forth that are happening, and they
have done as much as they can to be as
transparent with us as possible as we all kind of
navigate this time together. So far, you know, we haven't
seen the new federal fiscal year, so MIMA has been
able to do all of the preparedness that you would
expect year after year. Our mission, of course, remains unchanged,
(04:46):
which is protecting life and property during disaster and emergency events.
My chief concern is that we are seeing the withdrawal
of hazard mitigation funds from FEMALE, so that the denial
of hazard mitigation grant programs with current disaster declarations, the
(05:07):
withdrawal of brick that may not have an effect today,
but it does impair our ability across the country to
reduce the risks and reduce the impacts of future tropical
storms and hurricanes, and that is incredibly concerning. The other
thing that we've seen is more frequent denials of disaster
(05:28):
requests from the President, and the concern I have there
is that when FEMA isn't here as a partner for
those most catastrophic events, and the people who suffer really
are the disaster survivors in our small cities and towns,
because they don't have access to the public assistance and
the individual assistance that FEMA brings to the table. So
(05:49):
it means we have a very short, potentially short timeline
for folks to get much more financially prepared to recover
on their own without those programs.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Again, this is not something we need to worry about
in the moment, but these are things that you all
at MEMA are keeping your eyes on, and there's plenty
we can do in the meantime to get ready for
whatever comes.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Absolutely most of our responses are done at the state
and local level. So we know from MIMA, the National
Emergency Management Association, that in FY twenty three, there were
twenty three thousand, one hundred and ninety disasters nationally. Of those,
only sixty were federally assisted. So in ninety nine point
seventy five percent of disasters, states and locals are handling
(06:33):
it on their own. And so I want to make
sure people understand that we we do handle disasters exceptionally
well in Massachusetts. We have prepared and we have the
things in place that we need to and we are
still partnering with FEMA Region one, and FEMA has said
that for this hurricane season the things should be business
as usual on their end.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Let's talk then about what people need to know. And obviously,
again no hurricanes here right now, at least at the
time of this recording. In a couple days that might change,
but for now, we're doing okay. So if somebody is
listening to this, what should they know and what should
they be focusing on before hurricane.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Before a hurricane, I'd encourage you to know you're evacuation
zone if you're near a coastline, so you can go
to mass doc Gov forward slash know your zone, and
that outlines all of the hurricane evacuation zones. And that's
how localities in the state will communicate any kind of
risk that might result in an evacuation. Make an emergency plan.
(07:32):
This is incredibly important. You need to know what you're
going to do in the case of flash flooding, flooding,
a tornado, a hurricane, tropical storm event, snowstorm. So this
is an all hazards plan. If you have to leave
your home, do you know where you're going? Do you
know what resources you have available? Do you have contact list?
(07:54):
If you ask me right now to tell you every
phone number that I need from memory, I don't have
it because I've just looked them up on my cell phone.
If my cell phone's not available, I'm not one hundred
percent sure I could even call my in case of
emergency contacts. And so you need to be aware of that,
Individuals with disabilities and medical needs in particular need to
(08:16):
consider what impact the disaster might have to their care
and support and continuing a healthy, safe environment. So if
you rely on services, if you rely on power supply,
you need to understand and plan out what are you
going to do, where are you going to do, and
what is the timeline for that That building an emergency
(08:40):
kit also important. This is one I always struggle with
a little bit because so many of us are going
paycheck to paycheck, and so when we tell people you
need to build a kit that contains items that will
sustain you and your family for three to five days
without power or if you're unable to get to a store,
that can be so challenging for many of us, especially
(09:01):
as costs are increasing. So my recommendation is still build
an emergency kit, but start with the most important things
like make copies of your insurance cards, make sure that
you have your key documents that you can get access to,
and then just start getting a couple of things every
time you go to the grocery store. Buy a flashlight
(09:22):
with batteries, buy some extra canned goods, buy some bottled water,
and then build up what you can with the most
important things first, and if you aren't sure what those
most important things are, we of course have that at
mass dot gov and just put in emergency kit and
it should get you to our list for the emergency
(09:42):
kit also online. We've been talking about how to build
your kit slowly over time. If you can't go out
and drop a couple hundred dollars to build a kit,
I know I couldn't.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
No, no, I definitely couldn't. And you know, the most
important thing to notice, as you also mentioned, is that
you don't have have to go to the most expensive stores.
You don't have to go to like the big chain stores.
You can go to the dollar store and pick up
some of these things. You really don't have to spend
a ton of money, right.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
A canop piece from a dollar store is just as
good as a can of piece from any other grocery store.
So do what you can at you know what the
point is of your family, and consider what is the
most important thing for me to have for three to
five days, and then if there are additional needs again
people with disabilities, people with medical needs, people with pets,
(10:31):
what do I need to take care of myself with
those needs.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Yeah, and then when a hurricane or a tropical storm
is coming, obviously we hear at WBZ. We've got you
covered with the messages from you over at MIMA and
from the Weather Service. But if we know that a
storm is coming to Massachusetts in the next couple of days,
what should people do to get ready for that?
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I would say the most important thing is to stay
informed and don't be complacent. So the spaghetti models, as
we love to call them, and the days ahead of
a tropical storm hurricane event can change from day to day.
They can change from the morning briefing from the Weather
Service to the afternoon. But keep an eye on it
and know that once we get to what we call
(11:13):
landfall or onset of tropical storm force winds, your ability
to evacuate and to receive emergency services will pause until
that storm has passed. And so you need to know
when your locality is calling for you to evacuate. You
need to know when is it going to hit, what
is the timing going to be, so that you can
(11:35):
go inland to friends, family, a hotel, or a shelter
that's open as early as possible. And then when I say,
don't be complacent. Don't assume that it's going to take
a turnout into the ocean. Don't that right turn. Don't
assume that it's not going to be as bad as
the Weather Service is predicting. These things can pick up steam.
We've seen it over the last few years where at
(11:57):
the the eleventh hour, they they go from a Cat
two to a Cat four, like almost overnight. So always
err on the side of caution, stay informed and then
take action as early as you can.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
And also be sure to you know, make sure you
know what you need for your home. Make sure that
you've got if you're in an area that might be
prone to flooding, make sure you're some pump's in good shape.
And make sure as well that your basement all the
stuff's not on the floor. Try to elevate what you can.
And your windows you got to board those up as well.
Make sure that everything is safe in your home before
you take off.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Nicole, I think you could do this interview for me.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
No, I'd rather hear it from you. But it's just
you know, I mean, you live here forty years, You've
seen a few storms.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
You know absolutely no those are all spot on, and
think about if you're evacuating. What you need to do
to keep your house safe? What have you seen in
past flooding or high wind events and know that that's
likely to occur again.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yeah, should people reach out to their local you know,
officials to figure out exactly what they need to know
or should they just focus with what the messages are
from FEMA? How should people navigate that?
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Well, FEMA is not an alert and warning issuer for locality,
So evacuation decisions, shelters open, all of those things occur
at the local level. Okay, mema, even will we will amplify,
we will repeat those messages from the localities when they
issue them. But that local connection is the most important.
(13:26):
So you monitor your town's website. If they have a
reverse nine to one one or alerting system, get signed
up for that and then check their social media and
you can also watch mimas as well. If there is
an immediate impact to life safety, you will get something
on your cell phone on wireless emergency alerts, or you
(13:48):
might see it on the TV or the radio that
will tell you very quickly you know there's an immediate
flash flood warning. If you're in this area, please evacuate
the area now. So if we're sending an alert to
your phone or to the TV or the radio, that
means there's a life safety impact and you need to
take action.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Okay, and you're talking about social media, how can people
follow you? Again, we hear on the radio side of things,
we will amplify your messages. But if somebody wants to
find out directly from MIMA what's going on, how can
they get in touch?
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Facebook? We are on LinkedIn, we are on x and
we have a new account on Instagram as well. So
if you get on any of those platforms and look
for Massachusetts Emergency Management. We are posting on social media frequently.
I will say please do not rely on social media,
in particular Instagram for immediate weather alert. You can follow
(14:43):
Noah in the National Weather Service as well Norton or Albany,
depending on where you are, to get more immediate weather
updates via social media. I really want to reiterate that
this year, more than ever, people need to take the
time and make the investment to prepare because we don't
know what's happening at the federal level with FEMA, and
(15:03):
because we are seeing more frequent denials of disaster declaration requests.
Some of those resources that state, cities, towns, and individuals
and families rely on after a catastrophic event like a
hurricane may not be as available, and so it's important
to really pay attention this year and take steps to
prepare yourself. Likewise, MIMA and our public safety partners have
(15:26):
reviewed all of our what we call our Hurricane Action Timeline.
We've reviewed every step and every checklist to make sure
we are still on target regardless of what happens at
the federal level. So we are as prepared this year
as we were last year to respond to and recover
from a tropical storm and hurricane, and so people should
have confidence in that.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
All right, MEMA Director Don Brantley, it's always great to
have you on the show. Thank you for this important
information and hoping it's an easy season this year. Thank
you me too, Thanks again so much for joining us.
I hope you have a great start to the summer
this weekend, and please don't forget to join us again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
We're each and every week right here. We come together,
we talk about all the topics important to you and
the place where you live. Thanks for being with us
again this week, and happy summer to you. I'm Nicole Davis.
When it comes to hurricanes in our neck of the woods,
over the past few years, we've been in pretty good shape.
(00:28):
In fact, it's been quite some time since we were
hit directly by a storm. I'm talking since nineteen ninety
one when Hurricane Bob hit. Still, we have had some
strong storms skirt on by, and we definitely saw last
year what hurricanes are capable of now, aline devastating parts
of the southeast. No matter where you live in New England,
it is always important to be prepared. Over at the
(00:49):
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, they've got a team that knows
all about that sort of thing. Back on the show
with us this week is Don Brentley. She is the
director of MIMA. She's been here before. Don, it's great
to have you back. I want to start with this
because speaking of those inland hurricanes like Helene, I feel
like there's this belief that if you live in say
(01:09):
Worcester County or in the Berkshires, maybe the mountains that
you can't be impacted by hurricanes, but that's.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Not so Oh, that's such a great question, Nicole, Thank you.
And I run into this frequently. Before I was in Massachusetts,
I was in Virginia, which is much farther down in
the hurricane coast, and we ran into this there as well.
But the fact is is that hurricanes can be hundreds
of miles wide and when they come ashore where they
(01:37):
make landfall, they're going to impact the coastline. But they're
also going to impact a large portion of all of
New England and not just Massachusetts. So we will frequently
with hurricanes see inland flooding, flash flooding and tornadoes, and
tornadoes are a very common occurrence while a hurricane is
(01:57):
passing over. So it's important that no matter how far
away from the water from the coastline you live, that
you are considering the fact that you need to be
aware of the weather and any incoming potential tropical storms
and hurricanes and take the steps that you would normally
do for anything like wind, tornadoes and flooding normally.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yeah, and honestly, with the impacts of climate change, we're
hearing from forecasters that these storms are only getting stronger,
like we saw even Inland when it came to the
hurricane what it was a Hellene last year.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yes, that hurricane. It was just so incredible because most
of the impact was inland, away from the coasts, across
five states. It was. It was just absolutely devastating. And
Nova Scotia, even in the last three or four years,
has been hit twice by hurricanes and tropical storms. A
few years ago, Ireland was hit. So our climate is
(02:56):
changing as the water's warm in the Bay, and so
we need to be aware that hurricanes are going to
maintain their strength farther up the coastline. They're going to
maintain their speed, and they are going to happen, and
they're going to reach Massachusetts more frequently than we have
seen historically for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
And you don't need a Category four or five to
see some damage from these storms. Even just a Cat
one or two can do some damage.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Absolutely. Cat one and two would still be very catastrophic
for Massachusetts, in all of New England, and it will
will have an impact on businesses, on homes, on renters,
will it can disrupt the supply chain. So the threat
really is, the risk is really very real, and it's
(03:40):
growing year over year.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I think that there is a question. You know, obviously
we're not going to get political here or anything, but
there is a real threat to state funds right now
when it comes to emergency management. And I've been asked
this personally by a couple of people. Is NIMA dealing
with any sort of lack of federal assistance to get
ready for the hurricane season or what's the status right
now as we go into this summer.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I get that question a lot too. As you can imagine, Nicole,
we are keeping a very close eye on what's happening
at the federal level. We are in pretty constant contact
with our partners at FEMA Region One, who I have
to say have been really tremendous, very understanding about just
the impact that all of the uncertainty, the rapid changes
(04:24):
you know, back and forth that are happening, and they
have done as much as they can to be as
transparent with us as possible as we all kind of
navigate this time together. So far, you know, we haven't
seen the new federal fiscal year, so MIMA has been
able to do all of the preparedness that you would
expect year after year. Our mission, of course, remains unchanged,
(04:46):
which is protecting life and property during disaster and emergency events.
My chief concern is that we are seeing the withdrawal
of hazard mitigation funds from FEMALE, so that the denial
of hazard mitigation grant programs with current disaster declarations, the
(05:07):
withdrawal of brick that may not have an effect today,
but it does impair our ability across the country to
reduce the risks and reduce the impacts of future tropical
storms and hurricanes, and that is incredibly concerning. The other
thing that we've seen is more frequent denials of disaster
(05:28):
requests from the President, and the concern I have there
is that when FEMA isn't here as a partner for
those most catastrophic events, and the people who suffer really
are the disaster survivors in our small cities and towns,
because they don't have access to the public assistance and
the individual assistance that FEMA brings to the table. So
(05:49):
it means we have a very short, potentially short timeline
for folks to get much more financially prepared to recover
on their own without those programs.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Again, this is not something we need to worry about
in the moment, but these are things that you all
at MEMA are keeping your eyes on, and there's plenty
we can do in the meantime to get ready for
whatever comes.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Absolutely most of our responses are done at the state
and local level. So we know from MIMA, the National
Emergency Management Association, that in FY twenty three, there were
twenty three thousand, one hundred and ninety disasters nationally. Of those,
only sixty were federally assisted. So in ninety nine point
seventy five percent of disasters, states and locals are handling
(06:33):
it on their own. And so I want to make
sure people understand that we we do handle disasters exceptionally
well in Massachusetts. We have prepared and we have the
things in place that we need to and we are
still partnering with FEMA Region one, and FEMA has said
that for this hurricane season the things should be business
as usual on their end.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Let's talk then about what people need to know. And obviously,
again no hurricanes here right now, at least at the
time of this recording. In a couple days that might change,
but for now, we're doing okay. So if somebody is
listening to this, what should they know and what should
they be focusing on before hurricane.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Before a hurricane, I'd encourage you to know you're evacuation
zone if you're near a coastline, so you can go
to mass doc Gov forward slash know your zone, and
that outlines all of the hurricane evacuation zones. And that's
how localities in the state will communicate any kind of
risk that might result in an evacuation. Make an emergency plan.
(07:32):
This is incredibly important. You need to know what you're
going to do in the case of flash flooding, flooding,
a tornado, a hurricane, tropical storm event, snowstorm. So this
is an all hazards plan. If you have to leave
your home, do you know where you're going? Do you
know what resources you have available? Do you have contact list?
(07:54):
If you ask me right now to tell you every
phone number that I need from memory, I don't have
it because I've just looked them up on my cell phone.
If my cell phone's not available, I'm not one hundred
percent sure I could even call my in case of
emergency contacts. And so you need to be aware of that,
Individuals with disabilities and medical needs in particular need to
(08:16):
consider what impact the disaster might have to their care
and support and continuing a healthy, safe environment. So if
you rely on services, if you rely on power supply,
you need to understand and plan out what are you
going to do, where are you going to do, and
what is the timeline for that That building an emergency
(08:40):
kit also important. This is one I always struggle with
a little bit because so many of us are going
paycheck to paycheck, and so when we tell people you
need to build a kit that contains items that will
sustain you and your family for three to five days
without power or if you're unable to get to a store,
that can be so challenging for many of us, especially
(09:01):
as costs are increasing. So my recommendation is still build
an emergency kit, but start with the most important things
like make copies of your insurance cards, make sure that
you have your key documents that you can get access to,
and then just start getting a couple of things every
time you go to the grocery store. Buy a flashlight
(09:22):
with batteries, buy some extra canned goods, buy some bottled water,
and then build up what you can with the most
important things first, and if you aren't sure what those
most important things are, we of course have that at
mass dot gov and just put in emergency kit and
it should get you to our list for the emergency
(09:42):
kit also online. We've been talking about how to build
your kit slowly over time. If you can't go out
and drop a couple hundred dollars to build a kit,
I know I couldn't.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
No, no, I definitely couldn't. And you know, the most
important thing to notice, as you also mentioned, is that
you don't have have to go to the most expensive stores.
You don't have to go to like the big chain stores.
You can go to the dollar store and pick up
some of these things. You really don't have to spend
a ton of money, right.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
A canop piece from a dollar store is just as
good as a can of piece from any other grocery store.
So do what you can at you know what the
point is of your family, and consider what is the
most important thing for me to have for three to
five days, and then if there are additional needs again
people with disabilities, people with medical needs, people with pets,
(10:31):
what do I need to take care of myself with
those needs.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Yeah, and then when a hurricane or a tropical storm
is coming, obviously we hear at WBZ. We've got you
covered with the messages from you over at MIMA and
from the Weather Service. But if we know that a
storm is coming to Massachusetts in the next couple of days,
what should people do to get ready for that?
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I would say the most important thing is to stay
informed and don't be complacent. So the spaghetti models, as
we love to call them, and the days ahead of
a tropical storm hurricane event can change from day to day.
They can change from the morning briefing from the Weather
Service to the afternoon. But keep an eye on it
and know that once we get to what we call
(11:13):
landfall or onset of tropical storm force winds, your ability
to evacuate and to receive emergency services will pause until
that storm has passed. And so you need to know
when your locality is calling for you to evacuate. You
need to know when is it going to hit, what
is the timing going to be, so that you can
(11:35):
go inland to friends, family, a hotel, or a shelter
that's open as early as possible. And then when I say,
don't be complacent. Don't assume that it's going to take
a turnout into the ocean. Don't that right turn. Don't
assume that it's not going to be as bad as
the Weather Service is predicting. These things can pick up steam.
We've seen it over the last few years where at
(11:57):
the the eleventh hour, they they go from a Cat
two to a Cat four, like almost overnight. So always
err on the side of caution, stay informed and then
take action as early as you can.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
And also be sure to you know, make sure you
know what you need for your home. Make sure that
you've got if you're in an area that might be
prone to flooding, make sure you're some pump's in good shape.
And make sure as well that your basement all the
stuff's not on the floor. Try to elevate what you can.
And your windows you got to board those up as well.
Make sure that everything is safe in your home before
you take off.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Nicole, I think you could do this interview for me.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
No, I'd rather hear it from you. But it's just
you know, I mean, you live here forty years, You've
seen a few storms.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
You know absolutely no those are all spot on, and
think about if you're evacuating. What you need to do
to keep your house safe? What have you seen in
past flooding or high wind events and know that that's
likely to occur again.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yeah, should people reach out to their local you know,
officials to figure out exactly what they need to know
or should they just focus with what the messages are
from FEMA? How should people navigate that?
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Well, FEMA is not an alert and warning issuer for locality,
So evacuation decisions, shelters open, all of those things occur
at the local level. Okay, mema, even will we will amplify,
we will repeat those messages from the localities when they
issue them. But that local connection is the most important.
(13:26):
So you monitor your town's website. If they have a
reverse nine to one one or alerting system, get signed
up for that and then check their social media and
you can also watch mimas as well. If there is
an immediate impact to life safety, you will get something
on your cell phone on wireless emergency alerts, or you
(13:48):
might see it on the TV or the radio that
will tell you very quickly you know there's an immediate
flash flood warning. If you're in this area, please evacuate
the area now. So if we're sending an alert to
your phone or to the TV or the radio, that
means there's a life safety impact and you need to
take action.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Okay, and you're talking about social media, how can people
follow you? Again, we hear on the radio side of things,
we will amplify your messages. But if somebody wants to
find out directly from MIMA what's going on, how can
they get in touch?
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Facebook? We are on LinkedIn, we are on x and
we have a new account on Instagram as well. So
if you get on any of those platforms and look
for Massachusetts Emergency Management. We are posting on social media frequently.
I will say please do not rely on social media,
in particular Instagram for immediate weather alert. You can follow
(14:43):
Noah in the National Weather Service as well Norton or Albany,
depending on where you are, to get more immediate weather
updates via social media. I really want to reiterate that
this year, more than ever, people need to take the
time and make the investment to prepare because we don't
know what's happening at the federal level with FEMA, and
(15:03):
because we are seeing more frequent denials of disaster declaration requests.
Some of those resources that state, cities, towns, and individuals
and families rely on after a catastrophic event like a
hurricane may not be as available, and so it's important
to really pay attention this year and take steps to
prepare yourself. Likewise, MIMA and our public safety partners have
(15:26):
reviewed all of our what we call our Hurricane Action Timeline.
We've reviewed every step and every checklist to make sure
we are still on target regardless of what happens at
the federal level. So we are as prepared this year
as we were last year to respond to and recover
from a tropical storm and hurricane, and so people should
have confidence in that.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
All right, MEMA Director Don Brantley, it's always great to
have you on the show. Thank you for this important
information and hoping it's an easy season this year. Thank
you me too, Thanks again so much for joining us.
I hope you have a great start to the summer
this weekend, and please don't forget to join us again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
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