Major storm moving in; schools closed Monday (packies too)

Abington has declared a state of emergency ahead of tonight’s major winter storm.

The town is projected to experience heavy snow and strong winds starting Sunday night and lasting through most of Monday.

School is canceled for Monday and Town Hall will be closed as well.

The storm may be the strongest to hit the region since Nemo back in 2013 based on the anticipated barometric pressure, duration of the storm and possible snowfall totals, according to Meredith Fuller of The Fuller Forecast.

“Hopefully it’s not as powerful but it’s looking pretty gnarly,” she said.

Abington is currently located in the jackpot region and could receive up to two feet of snow before the storm finally moves out.

The Select Board held an emergency meeting Sunday to declare a state of emergency and hear storm preparation updates from department heads.

By declaring a state of emergency now the town is able to access additional state or federal funds, spend money to protect public safety, open the senior center as an emergency shelter, any discourage any non-essential travel.

The declaration included a suspension of all liquor licenses and cannabis permits from 9 p.m. tonight until 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Select Board member Nicole Emery voted against the declaration out of concern that liquor stores in the past have been considered an essential service.

Public Works Director John Stone said it’s “all hands on deck tonight” with 16 pieces of town-owned trucks and equipment and about 40 contractor vehicles fueled up and ready to clear roads.

“All I ask for is  to residents heed the message from the police and do not park in the road,” he said.

Police Chief John Bonney said the department is already forcing street parking bans, and will tow vehicles if necessary.

Fire Chief Jack Glynn said his department is bringing in extra staff tonight, with the two stations essentially splitting coverage of the town.  The department has also been in touch with National Grid on priorities in case of outages.  Glynn encouraged residents to check the back-up batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in case power goes down.

Health Agent Chris Schultz said, yes, the storm will impact trash pickup. Scheduled pickups will be pushed back a day.

Council on Aging Director Amy Barrett said the Senior Center will open at 8 p.m  tonight as an emergency shelter.

The storm is expected to land around 7-8 p.m. with conditions getting bad fast. The worst of the storm will be during the early morning hours, with snow falls between 2-4 inches per hour expected. Winds tomorrow morning could gust over 60 miles per hour.

“We could have power outages, so people may want to fuel up generators if they have them and make sure to charge everything up by about 8 p.m. tomorrow,” Stone told Abington News.

The Abington Fire Department posted some reminders for residents in the department’s Facebook page, including keep phones and laptops charged prior to the storm in case power does go out.

If your snowblower jams, don’t use your hand to unblock it even if the machine is turned off, as the augers may still have tension behind them.

When using snowblowers, please keep hands away from the blades, even after shutting off the unit.

To prevent cabin monoxide poisoning, generators should only be used outside at least 15 feet away from any openings to your home. Your garage does not count as the outside.

Heating exhaust vents should be cleared of snow. The Fire Department also asked residents to clear hydrants closest to their home.