The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency offers comprehensive resources on its website for all types of emergencies and disasters — from severe or prolonged rain events, to major weather systems like tropical storms and hurricanes.
The hurricane season runs through November, and the state maintains a “Hurricane Safety Tips” website to “Be prepared for tropical storms and hurricanes. Take action to prepare your family and your property.”
Tropical storms are winds above 39 mph, and hurricanes are winds above 74 mph. Both systems can cause deadly coastal storm surges and cause significant damage.
The last major hurricane — of the four worst on record — to impact the commonwealth was Hurricane Bob, which barreled into Block Island, Rhode Island, and later Massachusetts, in August 1991.
Although only a Category 2 storm, Hurricane Bob caused $680 million in damage, $39 million in Massachusetts alone. Most of southeast Massachusetts faced hurricane-force winds, with coastal communities in those areas seeing sustained winds of 75 to 100 mph.
Usually it’s the threat of flooding, not hurricanes, that trouble the sleep of most Bay Staters.
The Sentinel & Enterprise reported that nearly 4 inches of rain fell in Fitchburg and the surrounding area Monday morning, leaving cars stranded and closing roads.
“The drenching rainfall rose quickly in Fitchburg and Leominster, where the Route 2 interchange was flooded during the morning commute,” the paper reported.
It was minor in comparison, however, to the flash floods that left Leominster in a state of emergency in September 2023 after nearly 10 inches of rain fell on the area over six hours, causing extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure.
Still, hurricanes in this climate-charged era remain a potential threat to New England communities.
In 1954, not one but two Category 3 hurricanes hit New England. After making landfall in Connecticut, Hurricane Carol tore up through Central Massachusetts, dropping up to 6 inches of rain.
“Throughout New England, 4,000 homes, 3,500 cars, and 3,000 boats succumbed to Carol, and most of eastern Massachusetts lost phone service and power,” MEMA said.
Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Edna barreled up the East Coast. With the storm passing to the east, a heavy rainfall of 3 to 6 inches covered most of Massachusetts, with northeastern parts of the state receiving 7 inches.
“Still saturated from the rains of Carol, the area experienced extensive urban and stream flooding, with street washouts common, especially in northeast Massachusetts where rivers rose several feet above flood stage,” MEMA said. “Overall, 21 people died throughout New England as a result of this storm.”
The state recommends building an standby emergency kit for these kind of climate-related emergencies. Such a kit might have water, food, flashlights and batteries, money, important financial and identification documents, as well as personal items like medicine, glasses and a change of clothes. A checklist can be found at bit.ly/4cn0fjB.
When any storm is approaching, the state also recommends a family emergency plan that may include evacuation points or a shelter-in-place plan.
“Prepare for power outages by charging cell phones and electronics and setting your refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings,” MEMA said. “If you use electricity to get well water, fill your bathtub with water to use for flushing toilets.”
Since electricity at fuels stations may be offline thereby disabling pumps, the state recommends filling up all gas-powered vehicles.
In case of high winds that accompany many storms, residents are encouraged to secure outdoor objects. In case of flooding, the state recommends elevating items in your basement, unplugging sensitive equipment, moving cars from flood-prone areas and to stay off the roads.
In all cases, monitor media for emergency information.
Lowell is particularly vulnerable to flooding from hurricanes or other catastrophic rain events.
Besides the 117-mile-long Merrimack River, Lowell is also home to the Concord River, eight different canal systems comprising miles of waterways, and numerous other tributaries such as Black Brook, River Meadow Brook, the Claypit Brook area and Beaver Brook. The action stage for diverting water from the river into the canals is 53 feet, which almost happened last summer.
Minor flooding on the Merrimack River starts at 52 feet, is moderate at 54, and is a major flooding event starting at 58 feet.
The last time the city had a major flood caused by atmospheric circumstances was the Mother’s Day flood of 2006. During that two-day storm, the Merrimack rose to almost 59 feet, just 9 feet shy of Lowell’s catastrophic flood of 1936 in which bridges were impassable and entire neighborhoods were underwater.
“This flood was the most significant flooding experienced along the main stem Merrimack River since the Corps Merrimack system of flood control dams began construction in 1941 and ended in 1962,” noted a report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Sections of Pawtucketville, Centralville, Downtown Lowell, Lower Belvidere and the Highlands disappeared under water.
The city set up shelters, as many people were displaced from their homes.
“Make sure you and your family are ready,” MEMA said. “By taking certain necessary steps, residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts can help build resilient communities, reduce injuries and deaths, and minimize the economic impact of disasters and other types of emergencies.”
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