Middletown Getting 'As Ready As Possible' for Hurricane Irene

Chief Ronald Doire wants the citizens of his town to know Middletown's Emergency Management team is prepared for whatever Hurricane Irene throws our way this weekend.

“We’re always very well prepared. We respond to small disasters everyday. The only difference with Irene is that we will be responding to a larger disaster,” said Chief Doire.

Doire described the tightly coordinated preparation efforts between local and state government. This involves the Middletown Police Department, Public Works, school department, and other areas within Middletown's local government, working with Rhode Island emergency management officials.

 “All of the department heads have been meeting together since Tuesday as the Middletown Emergency Management Team. This includes me, the Police Chief (Anthony Pesare), public works, building inspector, finance director and the town engineer,” he said. The team also includes Town Administrator Shawn Brown.

This team has participated in daily conference calls with both the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross of Rhode Island, noted Doire.

“The goal is for the town to be as ready as possible. I think we are doing a good job reaching that goal,” he said.

Public Outreach

Doire also described how the town is reaching out to the community of residents and businesses, especially those that serve out-of-towners and tourists.

“We need to get the proper information out there to everyone. We are also working with the businesses on Wave Avenue to find other places for their guests to stay if needed,” Chief Ronald Doire said.

Preparing Emergency Workers

All the equipment at the Middletown Fire Station has been checked and rechecked this past week.

New chainsaws were also purchased.

“We also have 72 hours of food and water for our guys just in case,” he said.

Chief Doire also spoke of the firefighters’ sacrifices on a personal level.

“I told them to get their families squared away earlier than most people. We can’t be there for our families like we would like to. We’re helping people, it's part of our jobs, and we need to stay focused. Our families have just gotten used to it. They understand what we need to do,” Chief Doire said.

• Sign up to receive CodeRED automated phone messages for emergency announcements and any calls for evacuations.
• Visit the Town of Middletown website regularly for important announcements and any potential evacuation instructions.
• Residents with special needs and disabilities are encouraged to join the online registry that will share their information with emergency workers.
• Follow the Potter League for Animal's guidelines to keep pets and animals safe during natural disasters and how to prepare pets for an evacuation.
• Is your home within a flood zone? If so, plan your evacuation now and be sure to include plans for pets. View and print the town's Flood Zone Map available on the town website and from the image gallery above.
• Stock your home with enough food and water supplies to last 3 to 7 days for every member of your family, as well as pets.
• Be sure to prepare a Hurricane Kit to have key items ready to move with you in the event of an evacuation, according to these guidelines.
• Prepare you home, residence and property by identifying and removing hazards indoors and outdoors ahead of time.
• Click on the "Keep me posted" button below to receive automated email updates for important announcements and updates about Hurricane Irene.
• Install the Patch App on your phone. If you lose power, you can still keep up with emergency announcements and find out from Patch when your power might come back on!

See all Middletown Emergency Management announcements related to Hurricane Irene.