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Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Gov. Maura Healey provided an update today on blizzard recovery efforts across the state, particularly in southeastern Massachusetts, as a state of emergency remains in effect for all counties except for Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin.
Healey said she requested, and is receiving, out-of-state mutual aid to support snow removal operations on municipal roadways.
A day-long blizzard on Monday dropped more than 30 inches of snow and brought hurricane force winds in the hardest hit areas, namely Bristol, Plymouth and Barnstable counties.
Snow removal crews and equipment arrived from Vermont yesterday and from New York overnight, Healey said. The Vermont Agency of Transportation sent approximately 30 vehicles, a mix of front-end loaders and dump trucks. More than 30 Vermont employees got to work yesterday in towns across the southeastern region, with more towns set to receive assistance this week.
The New York State Thruway Authority, New York State Department of Transportation and New York Power Authority have deployed more than 50 pieces of equipment, including front-end loaders, dump trucks and snow clearing machinery.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has deployed more than 3,000 pieces of state and vendor equipment, according to the administration.
Joseph Foti, MassDOT’s highway chief of operations and maintenance, has been designated to lead the snow removal efforts in southeastern Massachusetts, and will be working with MEMA and local officials to clear streets as quickly and safely as possible, Healey said.
She said Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency local coordinators have reached out to every city and town in the eastern region to assess needs and deploy available resources, and the agency has hosted daily statewide calls to ensure coordination among local emergency management directors since before the storm.
National Guard service members continue to assist with snow and debris removal and route clearance efforts, she said, with the majority of support provided by Military Police, Engineer, and Transportation units to help restore safe access and normal operations across affected communities.
Healey said she has toured the hardest-hit areas, and thanked officials “who are working around-the-clock to remove snow and support our communities.”
A number of communities, including New Bedford, Fall River, Brockton and others, still have local travel restrictions and parking bans in place. Residents are advised to use caution on the roads, as there are still icy, snow-covered and slushy conditions.
Additional out-of-state resources, including more than 2,000 line, tree and service crew workers, are assisting in efforts to restore power to 150,000 customers still without it.
For more information on traffic conditions, travelers are encouraged to download the Mass511 mobile app or visit www.mass511.com to view live cameras, travel times, real-time traffic conditions, and project information.
The MBTA resumed regular weekday service today across the system, with the exception of the Fall River/New Bedford Commuter Rail Line, which is operating on a modified weekday schedule.