Teamwork, communication and minimal emergencies seen in blizzard aftermath

After five days of school, library and town office closures caused by the recent record-breaking blizzard, Middleboro and Lakeville were finding a sense of normalcy on Monday. 

Officials championed the collaboration between their town’s departments during the blizzard response, and said they learned important lessons on collaboration for future public safety emergencies.

Middleboro Town Manager James McGrail said his largest takeaway was the importance of strong communication between town departments. 

He said daily meetings between public safety departments, public works, schools and other town leaders worked well when dealing with the historic blizzard.

“It was an extremely challenging storm for the town, but I think all of our departments including the Department of Public Works, public safety, along with emergency management, all rose to the challenge,” McGrail said.

 “I'm extremely proud of the work,” he added.

McGrail said the work of DPW crews — who cleared most town roads four days after the storm — were especially helpful in the town’s overall response.

Residents and town leaders alike praised the Middleboro Gas and Electric Department, which also services Lakeville, as a standout force during the storm. While some surrounding communities dealt with town-wide power outages, the department maintained widespread services throughout and after the blizzard.

“That’s just the power of having an internal gas and electric company rather than waiting for a response from Eversource,” McGrail said.

Lakeville Select Board Chair Maureen Candito said the gas and electric departments' responsiveness kept Lakeville residents safe.

“Had they not been able to turn it around so quickly and repair any of the outages, it would have been a different story altogether,” Candito said. “Our resources would have had to be very scattered, and less managed.”

Candito also highlighted the “absolute collaboration” between Lakeville’s town departments, and paid credit to the long, arduous shifts first responders worked to keep residents safe during routine calls — but under not so routine conditions

She said DPW crews quickly removed snow, the police and fire chiefs coordinated well and maintained quick emergency response times, and town workers quickly prepared Lakeville’s warming center for residents to find safety during the blizzard.

“We had everyone in contact and working with each other really closely and really working like a team,” Candito said. “You never know how an emergency is going to go, but I've never been prouder of the team in Lakeville.”

She also said state Sen. Michael Rodrigues helped Lakeville secure assistance from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

Fire Chief Michael O’Brien said the town deployed 10 MEMA-funded plows and front-end-loaders to remove major snow accumulations on roads, senior-resident housing and school campuses by Thursday morning. 

O’Brien requested state aid since some neighborhoods were entirely inaccessible under the 3-foot snow dump, and neighboring communities were stretched beyond their resources to lend a hand. Over the coming months, Lakeville will collect storm-related damage costs from residents to determine the town’s eligibility for federal disaster reimbursement.

He said the blizzard revealed the strengths and limits of the community, and the work of first responders and town departments — including the “constant contact” between the Select Board and town departments — was critical in keeping residents safe.

“Our firefighters elevated their game and performed exactly the way this community expects them to during a crisis,” O’Brien wrote in a statement. “I am incredibly proud of the men and women of the fire department and grateful for the teamwork shown across town departments.”

Major storm-related emergencies 

During the storm, fire departments reported no major storm-related emergencies. By Wednesday, Feb. 11, the Middleboro Fire Department responded to its first major incident, a gas leak at Hannaford supermarket on Merchants Way.

The leak was likely caused by a snowplow hitting a gas meter, according to the department. There were no injuries, but the entire supermarket, Aubuchon Ace Hardware and the surrounding Merchants Way businesses were evacuated.

"We were extremely fortunate in this situation,” Fire Chief Owen Thompson stated in a press release. “The levels of gas in the hardware store were well into the explosive range, and we were able to evacuate and ventilate without any significant issues."

Lakeville also saw no major storm-related emergencies over the course of the storm, but two parked snow-plows caught fire at a business on Bedford Street on Saturday.

Firefighters stopped the intense fire from spreading to surrounding snow-removal equipment and a maintenance building, according to the fire department. The plows were operated for more than 100 hours during the storm, and had been stationary at the scene for more than a day.