As Massachusetts recovers from Hurricane Sandy with no serious infrastructure damage or flooding, government officials have freed up state resources to help battered communities in New York.
Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick announced on Wednesday that he authorized the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency to dispatch seven logistical specialists to Albany, New York, offering crucially needed assistance to a state battered by Hurricane Sandy.
“We saw that they [New York] were looking for some logistic help, and because things are winding down here in Mass. relative to the other states impact on the storm, we very quickly offered assistance,” said Peter Judge, a public information officer from MEMA.
The requests by New York came through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which facilitates member states sending personnel and equipment to help disaster relief efforts in other states.
Each year a national coordinating state is chosen to oversee EMAC.
This year Massachusetts oversaw the agency, but once Hurricane Sandy predictions were released, Massachusetts yielded the position temporarily to 2011’s leader, Arizona.
“At its base, EMAC works between two states,” said Mathew Parks, the interim director of EMAC, who headed EMAC from Arizona 2011. “It is a contract between two states for one state to assist another. An impacted state will send out an email broadcast with their needs and situation.”
In its email, which was received by MEMA at about 3 p.m. on Tuesday, New York requested, among other things, logistics experts, Judge said.
By 7 p.m., seven MEMA staff members had volunteered to travel to Albany and work for two weeks, Judge said.
They were on the road by Tuesday night, Judge said.
“We have got a very good relationship with the state of New York,” Judge said. “And with our proximity to New York, they knew that we were going to be able to get folks there quickly.”
Judge said the main duties of the MEMA members will be to respond to community requests for resources and assistance by coordinating where resources can be tapped and which other states can offer personnel.
“They [New York communities] are going to need specific things,” he said. ”Maybe they are looking for National Guard assets, sandbags, fire equipment or personnel.”
Parks said usually assistance comes from neighboring states, but both Hurricane Sandy and Irene devastated entire regions, making it difficult for states in close proximity to assist in recovery efforts.
The real destruction, which Massachusetts dodged, enabled them to offer resources, and a nationwide effort is now being conducted to assist states impacted by Sandy, he said.
“In this case we have people that have traveled from as far as Washington state and California to the East Coast states to assist,” Parks said. “So they are coming all the way from across the country.”
Judge said assistance from MEMA would not hamper recovery resources in Massachusetts, citing a MEMA staff of 85 members with many more personnel ready to help if required.
“We are not taking away from the people in the Commonwealth to go help another state,” he said. “We have many people that have these skills here.”
Patrick echoed the same sentiments as Judge, as he acknowledged the destruction of infrastructure in other states.
“Compared to other states like New York, Massachusetts was spared from the harshest impacts and devastation of Hurricane Sandy,” Patrick said in a MEMA press release issued on Wednesday. “We have been fortunate and we want to assist other states in any way we can. These committed MEMA officials will strengthen New York’s recovery efforts.”
Massachusetts has also lent out two Blackhawk helicopters to the state of New Jersey and a search and rescue team to Connecticut, according to the press release.
Judge said progress is being made in the Commonwealth to restore infrastructure to pre-Sandy conditions.
“Right now we are looking at about 80,000 power outages around the Commonwealth down from a high about 400,000,” Judge said.
Judge also said 31 Rapid Assessment Response Teams went through Massachusetts to gauge infrastructure damage.
“Their reports came back today,” he said. “There really isn’t any significant infrastructure damages.”
Next, MEMA will reach out to the 351 towns in the state to give community reports and then see how much work is left, Judge said.
“We will then have a better idea of what sort of overall damage has occurred,” he said. “Is there sufficient damage to go reach out for the federal government from FEMA? That’s down the pipeline if in fact it turns out to be needed.”
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