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Hurricane closes schools, colleges, government offices; essential information listed

By BOB DUNNStaff Writer

Sunday, October 28, 2012
(Published in print: Monday, October 29, 2012)

Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Sunday in advance of Hurricane Sandy’s expected arrival today.

Patrick directed all schools and state offices to close, and non-emergency state workers to stay home today and encouraged private employers to tell their workers to also stay home.

Here is essential information for area residents:

∎ All state buildings are closed.

∎ Northampton’s Emergency Operations Center will open at 6:30 a.m. and can be reached at 413-587-1160.

∎ A regional shelter is open at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School.

∎ All Northampton public schools and Smith Vocational and Agricultural School are closed.

∎ All Amherst-Pelham Regional schools, all Amherst public schools, and Pelham Elementary School are closed.

∎ All Easthampton public schools are closed.

∎ All Easthampton municipal offices are closed.

∎ All Hadley schools are closed.

∎ UMass, Amherst College, Hampshire College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Holyoke Community College are all closed.

Here are telephone numbers, websites, and Twitter addresses for storm updates:

∎ The Daily Hampshire Gazette: www.gazettenet.com, @gazettenet, 413-584-5000

∎ FEMA: www.fema.gov, @fema

∎ MEMA: www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/, @massema

∎ Western Massachusetts Electric Co.: www.wmeco.com/, @wmeco, 413-781-4300

∎ National Grid: www1.nationalgridus.com/Massachusetts, 1-800-465-1212

∎ Red Cross: www.redcross.org, @redcrosscwm, 978-537-3339

∎ Massachusetts State Police: www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/msp, @massstatepolice, 413-584-3000

∎ Northampton Police: www.northamptonpd.com, 413-587-1105

∎ Northampton Fire Department: www.northamptonfire.org, 413-587-1148

∎ Amherst Police: www.amherstpd.org, 413-259-3000

∎ Amherst Fire: www.amherstma.gov/fire, 413-259-3000

∎ Easthampton Police and Fire: www.easthampton.org, 413-527-1212

∎ South Hadley Police: www.southhadley.org, 413-538-8231

∎ South Hadley Fire (Falls Section): 413-532-5343

∎ South Hadley fire (College Section): 413-534-5803

∎ Hadley Police and Fire: www.hadleyma.org, 413-584-0883

∎ Regional first responder information: www.fireground360.com, @fireground360

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