Non-Emergency Numbers to Keep on Hand During Hurricane Sandy

Last year at this time Norwood faced an October snow storm that, while unusual, caused little damage other than brief power outages around town.

Now, as Hurricane Sandy moves toward the southern shore of New England, local residents should rememer that call volume to emergency workers skyrockets during major storms.

However, many of the calls are non-emergency calls that could be better handled by another agency. 

The following is a partial list of phone numbers to call related to specific problems you may have in Norwood:

• Norwood Police business line: 781-440-5100
• Norwood Department of Public Works: 781-762-1413
• Norwood Light and Broadband: 781-948-1150
• National Grid outage reporting: 1-800-465-1212
• Verizon: 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966)
• Comcast: 1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278)

In emergency situations, however, residents should not hesitate to call 9-1-1.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has sent out a list of actions that people can take to minimize the potential damage from this storm, including:

• Make sure you have a well-stocked family disaster kit in the event you lose power or are isolated for a number of days.
• Bring in outdoor items such as lawn furniture, trash barrels, hanging plants, toys and awnings that can be broken or picked up by strong winds and used as a missile.
• Elevate articles in your basement that could be damaged from even minor flooding.
• Keep you vehicles fully fuelled.
• Have a certain amount of cash available. If power is lost, ATMs may not be working.
• Learn where gas pilots and water mains are located and how to safely shut off all utilities.
• Lock doors and windows to ensure that they are closed tight to help protect against strong winds and rain.
• Download the free ping4alert! app to your Smartphone to receive important weather alerts and messages from MEMA. 
• Easy instructions are available at www.mass.gov/mema/mobileappp.

Power outage in your neighborhood? Tree fallen or other impediments in a local roadway? Flash flooding? Share your information with Norwood Patch and your neighbors here, or on our Facebook page.