The Great Flood of 2010 is finally winding down. The waters of the Sudbury River are receding to their banks and the Duck Boat has made its way back to Boston. Some of our residents are still dealing with water in their basements and access to Pelham Island is still limited at Heard Pond, but most major roads are now open and things are slowly returning to normal. A lot of work was done in our town since the flooding began on March 15th, and returned on March 29th. I am writing this letter to thank many of the people who helped get us get through the situation.
The Public Safety Building sustained serious and persistent flooding in the basement, resulting in the loss of power and heat. Due in large part to the efforts of our Facilities Director, John Moynihan, Officer Mark Wilkins of the Police Department, and Captain David Houghton of the Fire Department, we were able to maintain our operations from the Public Safety Building and provide service to the community during the ordeal. We also owe thanks to the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council for providing a mobile command center, and to the Fire Training Services for the loan of high capacity generators. As we watched the waters rise in the early morning hours of March 15th, it appeared that our entire operation, including Dispatch, Police and Fire, would need to be moved. This scenario was avoided thanks to the hard work and ingenuity of all involved.
The floods also had a significant effect on many of our citizens. Many streets such as Riverview Circle, Rolling Lane, Old Farm Circle and Squirrel Hill Road experienced flooding to an extent rarely seen. Pelham Island became a real island, separated from the rest of town by a nearly impassable road. School buses, five-ton trucks and eventually a Boston Duck Boat were required to keep these residents in their homes. Local Emergency Planning Committee Chairman Doug Leard and members of the Community Citizen Response Team volunteered their time to help arrange the transport of these residents. I have heard from many Pelham Island residents that the school bus drivers, truck drivers and Boston Duck Boat operators were all extremely helpful and considerate.
Communication of timely information to the public was another challenge we faced during the flood. A debt of gratitude is owed to Kim Reichelt of Wayland Enews. As flood updates were being provided, I can not recall one instance where Kim did not update the website within minutes. I envisioned Kim tied to her computer twenty-four hours a day, feeding information to a community anxious to know which roads would be opened or closed. MaryAnn Dinapoli with the town’s web site, the Wayland Police Department Facebook page (we now have over 480 fans) and the emergency announcement scroll on WayCam also provided critical flood information to our residents.
The rerouting of traffic for several days was a challenging task. Mr. Phil Hurton of the Massachusetts Highway Department and Sgt. Tom Galvin did a great job in setting up detours around town. The Wayland Public Works Department assisted with barricades and responded to a myriad of requests for assistance from our citizens. They also manned the five-ton truck that was part of the Pelham Island shuttle service.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Region 1 under the direction of Mr. Kevin Tully provided resources for the town. In particular, Wayland received 2,000 sandbags that were made available to our residents. We also received two high volume water pumps that were loaned from M.E.M.A. Region 4 and operated by Massachusetts D.O.T. employees. M.E.M.A also kept us abreast of current weather conditions and projections of river flooding.
As is any occurrence that happens once every ten or twenty years, lessons were learned and will be remembered by public safety personnel. This flood provided an invaluable lesson to those employees who very well may be here for the next major flood in Wayland. Many members of the public also learned lessons from this flood. Among these lessons, one that I am sure many will remember, is that while driving through flooded roadways, you should be mindful that your car’s undercarriage may not be as high off the ground as you think. One lasting memory I have is the sight of a firefighter carrying a woman to safety on his back after her vehicle got stuck in floodwaters at the Route #20/27 intersection.
In the end we have much to be thankful for. First and foremost we are thankful that the rained stopped. We can be thankful that no serious injuries were reported and that, although the damage in town was significant, it could have been worse. I am thankful for the many gestures of kindness and support offered by residents to public safety personnel. Not a day went by that someone didn’t drop off cookies or some other treat at the Public Safety Building to be enjoyed by dispatchers, firefighters and police officers. Many people stopped just to thank us for doing the job that we do. Of the hundreds of calls fielded by our dispatchers, very few were by people complaining about how things were being handled. We as a community worked together, from the neighbors of Riverview Circle piling sandbags around a house surrounded by water, to the patient drivers that allowed lanes of vehicles to pull out from a detoured road where they had been stuck in traffic for what seemed like an eternity.
Wayland had not seen a flood of this magnitude in over 20 years. As Wayland’s Emergency Management Director I am proud of the hard work and dedication of all the public safety employees and the other town employees that were very much involved in responding to this flood. We can all be proud of the fact that we came through the flood and are now moving on. We in emergency management stand ready to help any resident with the process of documenting damages to apply for federal assistance. All residents and businesses that sustained flood related damages are urged to register with F.E.M.A. by calling 1-800-621-FEMA. We will make claims regarding damages to public property and flood related expenses so that our taxpayers get the full benefit of the declaration of a disaster area by the President.
Please contact my office at 508-358-1710 should you have any flood related request or concerns.
