While many schools across Massachusetts are closed Tuesday due to the storm, Newton Public Schools will be open.
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller confirmed that decision in an email early Tuesday morning.
Newton’s superintendent said Monday that the…
post
While storm has shifted, Mass. is still prepared for impacts of nor’easter
As the nor’easter that’s expected to dump up to a foot of snow on parts of Massachusetts approaches Tuesday, the Bay State is bracing itself for the impacts of the storm, with chances of high wind, coastal flooding and snow.
While Boston isn’t expected to get slammed by the nor’easter, preparations were made. A major part of those preparations are storm barriers. At the aquarium T stop, several feet of storm barriers were set up in preparation for flooding or storm surge.
The hope is that overall, less people will head into this area when or if snow covers the streets and packed snow piles in spots across the city.
The path of the storm has changed significantly overnight, but city officials have not wavered on their expectations and precautions for safety.
So far, school has already been canceled and most public buildings, like libraries and municipal offices, and community centers are also closed.
Now, when the snow does arrive later Tuesday morning, there will be hundreds of vehicles out clearing the roads and salting.
Residents and businesses are expected to also maintain and clear sidewalks.
Space savers will be allowed for about 48 hours after the storm emergency except in the South End and Bay Village should they be needed. Still, the mayor has advised people to take the storm seriously. Be ready for changing conditions and if possible, don’t even come out.
“The bottom line is do your best to stay indoors. If you can work from home, if you can make plans, check in on your neighbors. Make sure that people are OK, and they have what they need,” said Mayor Michelle Wu.
For anyone heading into Boston, whether that’s by vehicle or using the T, 311 will be incredibly helpful to report any issues or concerns. 24-hour shelters will be open and accepting walk-ins.
With that shift in the storm’s path, comes an even greater concern for the chance of flooding along the South Shore.
Roadblocks are up in some places in Scituate, work crews are already out and about on the roads and along the coastline, sandbags in place to help mitigate the expected flooding.
But even with all that preparation, town leaders in Scituate canceled school Tuesday for all students because coastal flooding is expected around the time the students would’ve been released.
However, town leaders said that now frees up some crews from having to clean the parking lots of those schools so they can focus their attention on low lying areas like Cole Parkway, Front Street and down by the Scituate Harbor, which is typically known as the danger zone.
“We pre-positioned our high-water vehicles from our police and fire in case we have to get people out of these places and then the DPW will pre-position barriers and things like that so that those areas that are flooding will be closed off to keep people from driving in it,” said Town Manager James Boudreau.
Up to 60 plows and trucks are expected to be out and about on Tuesday.
It looks like Worcester, however, will be spared from the worst of the snow, but the city still planned for it.
The snow hasn’t started yet, but pre-treatment was seen on the roads Tuesday morning. The salters were loaded up shortly after midnight and they began going along the main arteries spreading salt and sand, then hitting some of the side streets.
They’ve got plenty of salt because we’re below average for snowfall this season and even the snow totals have been cut way back for Worcester.
It’s still unclear during the height of this storm how fast the snow will come down and its consistency, so public works crews are preparing for anything.
“I’ve heard a lot of different things – is it coming in light and fluffy, is it coming in wet and heavy – I’m erring that it’s going to be a little bit heavier, maybe not so wet, at least in this area, because we shouldn’t see the rain. It’s going to be all snow,” said Worcester Public Works Commissioner Jay Fink.
Fink said they’ve got about 350 pieces of equipment ready to deploy once the snow starts falling.
Nor’easter arrives Tuesday morning, heaviest snowfall in southern New England: Watch live
There are times when the forecast delights and times when it defies logic.
This is one of the latter. Guidance was very confident in most of the Commonwealth seeing 6 to 12 inches of snow.
As the track shifted south, the confidence vanished. Why the shift? Why the backpedaling? It’s easy to say, “Weather is variable. Changes happen.” But the crux of it is the dual jet streams influencing the storm’s track.
At first, we saw a very strong storm manipulating the steering currents as it goes along. As time went along, the storm appeared weaker (pivotal change). Now at the mercy of the steering currents, one from the north that eventually got the upper hand and shifted the storm south.
Evolution of the pattern is the weakest link in weather forecasting. The proverbial “butterfly flapping its wings” that MIT professor Ed Lorenz coined as chaos was firmly in play here. But we still have some accumulation. And there will still be some impact to travel and cleanup.
Rain will head off the start of the storm in some spots, whereas wet snow will have a hard time accumulating in others.
As the “meat” of the storm gets rolling toward late morning and early afternoon, we’ll switch to snow and see a majority of the accumulation. Winds will ramp up along the coast, with gusts to 40+ at the water’s edge.
Coastal flooding is expected at the 2 p.m. high tide. We’ll be in between minor and moderate in many spots, falling short of the major flooding last month.
The wrap on the storm comes late Tuesday afternoon and this evening (on Cape).
Winds will switch around and we’re expecting temps to drop below freezing. Some slippery spots are possible Wednesday morning.
Cold remains a factor into the end of the week. We have another batch of light snow expected late Thursday and early Friday.
Judge dismisses families’ lawsuits against Harvard over morgue scandal
Families who sued Harvard University after loved ones’ remains were stolen and sold on the black market have had their cases dismissed.
Paula Peltonovich says she was told her dad, whose body was donated to Harvard Medical School for research, is one of the victims of the morgue scandal.
“To know somebody bought something of my father’s, or multiple things of my father’s,” said Peltonovich. “I want that back.”
Harvard’s morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, is accused of selling body parts from donated cadavers. He’s facing several criminal charges in the case, as are people who trafficked in those body parts.
Families of the victims were hoping a lawsuit filed against Harvard would hold the university accountable. But a ruling from a judge on Monday dismissed all lawsuits against the school.
“How can Harvard just get away with this?” asked Peltonovich. “I just don’t understand.”
In the decision to dismiss the civil case against the school, the judge said Harvard is immune because it acted in good faith, and it’s not liable for the alleged misconduct of its employee.
More on the Harvard morgue scandal
“Harvard gets basically a ‘get out of jail free” card,” said attorney Kathryn Barnett of the law firm Morgan & Morgan. “No responsibility for what happened in its morgue with the remains entrusted to it.”
Barnett is one of the attorneys representing the families.
She says Harvard turned a blind eye to what was happening in the morgue, and she says she’s profoundly disappointed in the judge’s ruling.
“To be a ruling that gives every school out there carte blanche to let criminals run wild in their morgue, and so long as you don’t look, you’re scot-free,” said Barnett.
Attorneys for the families say they will appeal the judge’s decision.
Mass. pilot program aims to help migrants find housing
A new pilot program in the works could help hundreds of newly arrived migrants currently in shelter find long-term housing, rental assistance and employment opportunities in Massachusetts.
The program would be for one year and help around 400 migrant families. It would take $8 million from the supplemental budget meant to help migrant families in emergency shelters.
“We are providing legal services and case management to people in shelters, and we’re about to begin work exiting families from the shelters and into apartments,” said Jeff Thielman, the CEO for the International Institute of New England.
This resettlement agency has been at the forefront helping refugees and migrants in Massachusetts. Now a new pilot program in the works from Gov. Maura Healey’s administration hopes to work hand in hand with agencies like this one.
“We have teams on the ground right now looking for apartments in eastern Massachusetts,” Thielman said.
Eight resettlement agencies would be part of this initiative, and they would help migrants find jobs, navigate a new community, and help them apply to a decade-old state-run program called HomeBASE.
“What the governor wants is to find a permanent solution,” said Liliana Patino the director of community engagement with Eliot Community Human Service.
More on the migrant crisis in Massachusetts
HomeBASE provides move-in costs, like the first and last months’ rent and security deposits for families who qualify for emergency assistance shelter.
“We know how expensive and exhausting this is for the state to have these families in shelters,” Patino said.
Healey’s office says it has helped around 3,000 newly-arrived migrants get work authorizations, which will help when this pilot program begins.
“Almost all of the new arrivals here in the state, they all want to work,” Healey said. “We’ve been able to process them for work authorizations and now we’re in the process of getting them plugged in with employers throughout the state.”
Each resettlement agency would help around 50 families within this pilot program, which could be finalized in the next few weeks.
As Salem prepares for flooding, expert says it will worsen with climate change
Almost one month to the day after a storm compromised a 30-foot section of this sea wall on Beach Avenue, Salem, Massachusetts, is bracing for another.
“We had one sea wall suffered some significant damage in the last storm in the middle of January. We did have a temporary replacement installed with some bunker block,” Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo told NBC10 Boston Monday. “The coastal flooding has increased in severity, you know, we’re kind of living with the impacts of climate crisis right now and as a city we’re doing what we can to respond to it.”
Salem State University professor Stephen Young says global warming isn’t helping matters. In fact, his research shows southern New England is losing snow 90% faster than anywhere else in the world that’s experiencing snow decline.
“When there’s snow on the ground, a lot of the sun’s energy gets reflected back out to space and when there’s not snow on the ground a lot of the sunlight gets absorbed by the earth, heating the earth further,” Young said. “We are actually witnessing the disappearance of winter snow.”
Since the early 2000s, Young said Massachusetts has lost about 20 days of snow cover, Connecticut has lost 25 days of snow cover, Rhode Island lost 19 days, New Hampshire lost 10 days, Vermont lost nine days and Maine lost five days.
“We will probably continue to see winter temperatures rising in the future and precipitation will tend to be more rain than snow,” Young said. “Young people will probably remember this winter as one of the colder and snowier winters in their lives.”
With an estimated 8 inches of snow on the way, and astronomical high tides expected to reach around 11 feet, the city was among the first in the state to cancel school. It’s the first time Salem has canceled school due to snow so far this year.
“You know, when it’s that clear, there’s no sense in delaying it,” Salem Superintendent Stephen Zrike said. “I just encourage students to take advantage of the snow day and our staff and have a chance to play in the snow good to have an old-fashioned snow day but I also want students to read and catch up on their work.”
The Public Works and fire departments are fully staffed with extra pumps and generators on-hand. At least 100 vehicles will be out removing snow throughout the storm. And the mayor is asking residents to do their part.
“If you are driving and see a barricade out — police will be out closing roads as the water rises in areas — don’t drive around the barricade,” Pangallo said. “Even if you think the water is not deep, it’s not worth it. You could get stranded.”
More coverage on the incoming nor’easter
