A meteorologist with the National Weather Service said Irene could trigger historic flooding along the Connecticut River. Watch video
Western Massachusetts, a region already shell-shocked over violent weather, on Saturday braced for Hurricane Irene’s impact.
The huge storm is expected to pummel the entire East Coast and prompt potentially historic flooding in the Pioneer Valley, according to a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
While Saturday was soggy with rainfall throughout the afternoon, the forecast is calling for 6 to 10 inches of rain in an already saturated area.
“The heaviest rain is going to fall over the entire Connecticut River basin ... all the way up to Vermont and New Hampshire. That is going to cause some prolific rises in the Connecticut River as the week goes on, with significant and possibly historic flooding along the river,” said Glenn Field, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.
And for good measure, the storm is expected to bring sustained winds of up to 35 miles per hour and gusts up to 55 miles per hour.
“We hope that people take that seriously. The winds are going to cause downed branches and maybe even entire trees,” Field said, echoing municipal officials’ instructions that people stay off the roads and in their homes on Sunday.
Field said the storm will hit the Pioneer Valley by building gradual momentum throughout the night, ramping up between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. and delivering its maximum impact from mid-morning to early afternoon.
As of noon on Saturday, Irene knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes in Virginia and North Carolina, brought New York City’s public transit system to a grinding halt and left a path of destruction in its wake.
Cancellations began early Saturday, with Bradley International Airport announcing most of its commercial flights were canceled for Sunday. Peter Pan Bus Lines also announced it would suspend service.
Power outages are almost certain in this area and could be lengthy, a spokesman for Western Massachusetts Electric Company said this week. An additional 90 crews have been brought to the area and all employee vacations have been canceled, the official said.
Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno briefed reporters Saturday morning about that city’s plans to manage what is being billed as the worst storm in decades bears down on southern New England.
“We will handle this effectively, efficiently and with compassion,” said Sarno, who has become something of an old hand at responding to weather disasters since the devastating tornadoes of June 1.
He opined that a hurricane is “a different kind of beast” and residents should not be surprised if power outages last longer than the three days following that event.
The tornado was followed by a “microburst” last month and an earthquake last week.
A “shelter of last resort” opened Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Greenleaf Community Center in the Sixteen Acres neighborhood, where Springfield, Chicopee and the Red Cross jointly are opening one.
Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette urged mobile home residents to seek shelter in Springfield.
Shelters have opened elsewhere, including Monson, where one of the June 1 tornadoes caused severe damage.
There were five people at the Monson shelter at Quarry Hill Community School on Margaret Street Saturday night, including Theresa C. Martinson, who lives off Route 32 on Pine View Drive with her three daughters. She was afraid her home would lose the power needed for her 5-year-old’s ventilator. She said she expected to be in the shelter until Monday.
Legend L. Durick, a Montana resident, had been camping at Sunset View Campground when she was advised to find shelter. She said she had been there six weeks, and although she had missed the June tornado, she did feel last week’s earthquake.
Alan Chwalek, superintendent of Springfield department of public works, said his crews drew down local ponds as much as possible and tried to ensure catch basins were clear. But, like everyone else, they were left later on Saturday to wait.
“It’s all hands on deck, and we’ll do the best we can,” Chwalek said.
Staff reporters Robert Rizzuto and Lori Stabile contributed to this story.
