3:11 p.m. EMS Super asks residents to stay home, avoid carbon monoxide poisoning post-storm
Boston EMS is asking people to stay inside while blizzard conditions ripple through the city and state.
“The plows need to get out there and do their thing, so we’re asking people to stay off the roads,” Superintendent of Field Operations Tom Finn told the Herald. “For the most part, it’s actually worked out fairly well for us.”
There have been a few car accidents but “nothing crazy,” he said. So far, EMS has been seeing a few sick calls, but none related to the snow.
“The calls themselves tend to take a little bit longer because now we’ve got the snow on the roads. We’ve got the snow in the pathways, into the doorways,” Finn noted. “Getting people out safely just takes a little bit longer.”
Responding vehicles have occasionally been getting stuck, but EMS has a dedicated support crew that can get them back in operation fairly quickly, he said.
“The crux of this whole thing is to stay home,” Finn emphasized, saying that even walking outside can be dangerous when plows have low visibility and branches and whole trees are getting taken down by the heavy snow.
“The storm is still going, my guess is it’s going to continue until the evening hours,” he said. When the snow does eventually slow down, he told resident to be careful shoveling their sidewalks and parking spaces.
The snow from the last winter storm was “was a little lighter, fluffier,” he said. “This snow is heavier, it’s a little bit more dense.”
He suggested that those shoveling push not lift the snow, try to break it up into smaller pieces, or use a snow blower instead.
“Ask someone younger to do it,” Finn advised older residents or people with health issues.
He also warned against carbon monoxide poisoning, which can happen more frequently after snow events because of blocked exhaust vents.
“Don’t sit in your car when you’re cleaning it out,” he said. “Don’t have anybody else sit in the car when you’re cleaning it out.”
Finn said to double check exhaust pipes on cars and vents on houses to make sure they are not blocked by snow.
Using grills or ovens to heat homes is not a good idea and can also lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, Finn said.
If you can, “make sure that your friends and neighbors are all set,” he added.
2:25 p.m. Multiple water main breaks reported in Winthrop
The Town of Winthrop reported multiple water main breaks caused by storm related power outages Monday.
The loss of power caused valves in the water system to open, spiking pressure and leading to the main break in multiple locations, according to a statement from the town, including around Marshall Street, Veterans Road, and Beal Street.
The department of public works had to briefly shut down water service, but it was back up by 2 p.m.
12:49 p.m. Giant tree falls on Wellesley home
No injuries have been reported after a large tree fell on a home in Wellesley this morning.
The tree fell on a residence on Great Plain Ave. at Fieldstone Way just before noon while heavy snow and strong winds battered the area, according to Wellesley Police.
In video shared on X by the department, the thick pine tree appeared to have snapped from 12 or 15 feet up its trunk, crashing onto a fence as well as the the roof and siding of the home.
“Roads continue to be snow covered throughout town,” the department said. “Officers have been responding to various calls for service.”
12:25 p.m. Suspected vandals arrested during blizzard in Boston
Boston Police arrested two men for allegedly tagging a building in Southie in the middle the snowstorm.
Officer responded to a building on West Second St. around 12:06 a.m. Monday for a report of vandalism. Police said they saw two individual walking in the area. With “limited foot traffic at the time,” because of the blizzard conditions, BPD said officers stopped the men, Anders Hubbard, 24, of Braintree, and Elton Ernest, 23, of Somerville.
Hubbard had paint splatter on his jacket and appeared to be clutching something in his pocket that turned out to be a can of spray paint, police said. A search of Hubbard and Ernest revealed another can of spray paint, two paint cans, and three paint pens.
Both individuals were charged with tagging property and are expected to be arraigned in South Boston District Court.
12:08 p.m. Cape Cod Hospital operating on generator power
Cape Cod Hospital, one of two hospitals in Barnstable County, is open despite power outages, according to State Rep. Steve Xiarhos. The hospital is currently using generator power.
Xiarhos, who said he attended a Barnstable County Emergency Management meeting this morning to coordinate the public safety response for the hard hit area, cautioned that conditions are expected to be whiteout until 9 p.m. tonight.
“Emergency crews are having a very difficult time responding to calls for service due to the dangerous conditions,” he wrote on Facebook. “Everyone is strongly urged to stay off the roads.”
Although both hospital are still open, other services on the Cape including the regional transit system and steamship authority are not operating at this time.
11:54 a.m. Mansfield Police help over a dozen of stranded motorist
Mansfield Police Chief Ronald Sellon advised drivers to avoid Route 140 after the department has helped over a dozen cars that got stranded on the road since 4:30 a.m.
“It is impassable,” Sellon posted on X Monday morning, “with several feet of snow on it.”
11:50 a.m. No injuries after MBTA bus get stuck in snow
An MBTA bus got stuck in the snow around Arsenal Yards in Watertown this morning, according to police. No one was injured.
11:31 a.m. Outer Cape Police ‘very busy’ during storm
Wellfleet and Eastham Police have both seen an increase in calls, with 100% and 98% of resident without power, respectively.
A dispatcher for Wellfleet said that officers have been bringing people to the shelter at Nauset Regional High School. When told the 100% of the town’s residents were without power, the dispatcher said, “I believe it.”
Officers in Eastham were also “very busy,” a dispatcher for the department said. When asked if the calls were for down trees, lost electricity, or shelter transport, the dispatched replied, “all of the above.”
11:06 a.m. ‘No heat calls’ rolling in through Cape Cod
As no heat calls roll in to police departments on Cape Cod, it’s possible additional shelters might need to open to accommodate residents.
In Dennis, where more than half the residents are currently without power, Sgt. Ryan Carr said that he expects those calls to increase throughout the day, as the storm continues to down trees and wires, and “as people get cold in their houses.”
Currently, two regional shelters are open on the Cape, one in Barnstable and another in Eastham. “Both would be a hike from Dennis,” Carr said.
It’s possible that the county could open up a shelter at Dennis-Yarmouth High School, but they haven’t made that call yet, he said.
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