Will Seekonk's Emergency Shelter Be Moved?
Seekonk selectmen debate on what could have been done better in providing shelter for residents without heat or power during the recent blizzard.
Seekonk selectmen heard from various department heads Wednesday to determine how the government could improve the shelter facilities in the town.
Hurley Middle School is the only place equipped with a generator that can handle heating concerns, Town Administrator Pam Nolan said.
"We had radiant heat, but none of the blowers were on at the time," said Jim Roy, the school district's buildings and grounds supervisor. "It was 68 degrees. I've been working on seeing if I could improve that."
Roy said he tweaked the generator to get more power out of it to activate the blower to the library. The blowers are the vents and fans that distribute the heat from the heat source in the building.
Without that, the heat has to move through the building and concrete, severely slowing the heating of the surrounding area.
Nolan said Hurley's purpose during the blizzard was to provide residents with heat and was never meant to be an actual shelter, which is somewhere to sleep.
She said that the designated area for an actual shelter was the La Sallette Shrine in Attleboro, but during the last blizzard, she said she could see why residents did not want to risk the trip due to road conditions.
Fire Chief Alan Jack said even for emergency calls, the fire and medical service personnel had to rely on plows from the Department of Public Works to reach a 911 call, let alone transport residents to the Attleboro shelter.
"Logistics during this past storm were difficult," he said. "After speaking with [Fire Capt. Michael Healy] in meetings when I returned, I knew there was a serious issue."
Bernadette Huck, director of human services and the council on aging, said she talked with personnel in other towns and learned the town could save money by storing cots, blankets, pillows and other non-perishable items in pods or truck containers.
"The Duxbury [COA] had a container from the Red Cross since 1983," she said.
She said after nearly 30 years, the supplies hadn't gone bad and would be an investment for the town.
Nolan said if the town wants to move the shelter area from the Hurley to the yet-to-be-constructed senior center, they would have to move on that plan before it is designed.
She said to be an active shelter, there were requirements from the state on what needed to be available even in the design process of the building.
"If you wanted that building to serve as the shelter, then it has to be built to certain requirements," Nolan said. "It affects the whole building. We would have to right now decide to do that so that the building would satisfy requirements."
Terese Bohaxiu-Dicastiglione
10:45 am on Thursday, February 21, 2013
I would like clarification for all of us Seekonk residents about how a Seekonk resident would get to the Hurley shelter in the case where the Governor has declared a driving ban and no one except emergency workers are allowed on the road. I was listening to a Fall River radio station in my parked car, trying to keep warm during the blizzard, and they were saying that they would have to send someone authorized by the city of FR to pick up residents who need to get to shelters during the driving ban. I would have liked to have visited the 'warming center' at Hurley MS on Sat before the driving ban was lifted. Would I have been allowed to drive to HMS before 4 pm when the ban was lifted? A reverse 911 said NOT to call the police about non-emergencies due to the snow - should I have called for a ride to the warming shelter? I had no heat, no power and no septic facilities (run by elec. pump).
Emcee of Seekonk
12:25 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Essentially there was no shelter during the storm. Hurley was better than nothing, but barely. If heat was lost because of a power outage, we had to sit and wait for the governor to lift a ban even if we had a way out. I think Seekonk did the best they could with the conditions they were dealt, but their was clearly no plan in place.
LaSallette as a shelter for Seekonk makes no sense. It is a long haul (my guess is 20 miles) for someone living in the south end of town. Better they go to Rehoboth or stay put.
As for all kinds of modifications (ka-chink, ka-chink) in the Community/Senior Center building plans to accommodate the occasional need for a shelter, I would wonder about that. Did Rehoboth or LaSallette or all the other shelters in church halls and gymnasiums throughout the state have special accommodations other than wheelchair accessible, kitchen, heat source, bathrooms, basic first aid supplies, etc.
Dave
9:41 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
I have doubts about the statement that it affects the entire building. It was already being designed with a kitchen and a large function area. Maybe a larger function area to handle the amount of people potentially and maybe larger rest rooms with the addition of a couple showers in each. Causing a redesign of the offices that border these changes is expected. Total revamp??
Carol Bragg
4:26 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
The location should be central and convenient for the DPW and the police and fire departments. That could well be the new Senior Center, which will be close to the Public Safety Complex. The Senior Center will have an emergency food pantry and kitchen, as well as equipment like wheelchairs, which would mean those who use wheelchairs wouldn't have to worry about bringing their own to the shelter. I believe the plans include a bathroom with shower.
Emcee of Seekonk
5:02 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
I think the proposed Senior Center is an excellent location, but what about the folks down along lower route 6, say Warren Avenue and then there are the folks up by Oak Hill Avenue... really, how do they get to the shelter if the roads are all snowed in. I didn't watch this week's BOS meeting, was transportation addressed in the discussion on providing a shelter?
Carol Bragg
6:00 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
I attended this portion of the meeting but didn't hear a discussion about transportation in relation to shelter location.
Emcee of Seekonk
9:08 am on Saturday, February 23, 2013
You are correct. I caught up with the meeting on cable, and 'how to get there' (particularly LaSallette, the Red Cross shelter) was not fully addresssed. All we can do is pray for the good luck that another blizzard doesn't occur for another twenty years. Perhaps by then there will be better solutions, but don't bank on it.
Carol Bragg
11:22 am on Saturday, February 23, 2013
Possible solutions for transportation: toboggans, cross-country skis, snowshoes, horse-drawn sleighs (Rehoboth has lots of horses), all-terrain vehicles (Rehoboth secured Humvees), rescue boats, helicopters. Also, a corps of citizen volunteers who are well-trained, mobilized and authorized to help during emergencies to enhance services and access for our first responders.
Carol Bragg
11:29 am on Saturday, February 23, 2013
The sky is typically clear the day after a hurricane even if the roads are impassable; after a blizzard ends, while the roads are being cleared and the power outage continues, airlifts and airdrops are always an option. Hold your fire, please. Maybe Seekonk needs to invest in a helicopter.
Carol Bragg
11:40 am on Saturday, February 23, 2013
I see a great future for the Bell Helicopter division of Providence-based Textron: more rescue helicopters that save lives and fewer attack helicopters that "see in the dark to destroy the enemy," as they used to advertise.