Lynn department heads prepared for storm fallout

LYNN – City department heads gathered Thursday to formulate a cohesive emergency plan for the pending onslaught of Hurricane Earl.Special telephone lines were activated to handle resident calls about flooded basements and those seeking information about emergency procedures.”We’re putting these phone numbers into service because we’re trying to free up the 911 emergency lines,” said Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, explaining that residents should not call police or fire for basement pumpouts, downed branches or other non-emergencies.The general storm information phone number to report problems is 781-477-7099. It will be staffed from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday.Residents seeking assistance for flooded basements should call the Lynn Water and Sewer Commission (LWSC) storm line at 781-596-2406.Fire Capt. Robert Bourke, the city’s emergency management director, said the hurricane brought 75 mph winds on Thursday to the area east of Nantucket and was expected to drench Cape Cod and the Islands.”Boston Harbor and the North Shore are farther west, so we should be less affected. Just like Cape Cod, Cape Ann will probably be getting more of a blow than we are,” Bourke said.According to Bourke, the storm is expected to produce a two-foot ocean surge along the North Shore, which means it will pound the seawalls along Lynn Shore Drive and likely cause minor flooding.”We will get some splash over, especially around high tide,” he said. “We will get wind and rain. The heaviest rain is predicted between 4 p.m. Friday and midnight, with 2 to 4 inches falling during that 6-hour period.”High tides are Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 8 a.m. The highest winds are forecast between 6 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday. Winds in Boston are anticipated to reach 40-50 mph.Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Thursday ahead of the storm’s arrival, saying the declaration would allow officials to respond quickly.The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a tropical storm watch from Hull, Mass. to Eastport, Maine. Earl dropped from a Category 4 storm to a Category 3 storm at midday Thursday and was expected to weaken to a Category 2 by the time it reached New England waters Friday night.Bourke said powerful surf and rip currents are likely along the North Shore starting Friday evening and continuing into Sunday.LWSC engineer Anthony Marino said water levels in the city reservoirs are low due to the dry summer. As a result, the ponds should be able to accommodate heavy rain, he said, adding that water from Sluice Pond was channeled into Flax Pond on Thursday as a precautionary measure.”This is a very fluid situation. There’s lots of uncertainty,” said Mayor Kennedy. “We will check the forecast on Friday just after noon and decide then whether we are going to make the EOC (emergency operations center) operational.”The EOC would be established at police headquarters and staffed by a representative from every city department involved in storm preparedness.”We don’t want to ramp up and incur lots of expenses if it’s only going to be a nor’easter,” said Bourke. “We have to wait and see. It might be like a tropical storm to us.”The city’s three high schools will serve as emergency shelters, if necessary. Generators in those buildings are ready to supply power in the event of a power outage.Public Works Director Jay Fink said his work crews would address fallen trees and branches, and erect barricades around areas made impassible because of debris or flooding.Fink said some trees, stressed by drought, have already dropped seeds, cones and leaves, making them less vulnerable to wind damage. Trees laden with leaves are more apt to catch strong winds and topple.Bourke said fire and police response might be limited if winds exceed 50-60 mph. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closes the Bourne and Sagamore bridges to Cape Cod once winds exceed 70 mph, he said.Police Chief Kevin Coppinger said police response in high-wind conditions would depend on the