Northborough Seeks Volunteers For Emergency Shelters

Northborough’s preparation to open an emergency shelter has improved, and now volunteers are sought to staff it. 

Northborough Co-Emergency Shelter Coordinators Andrew Dowd and Jamie Terry told selectmen this week they plan to send a letter to community groups and businesses asking them for potential volunteers, who would be screened and trained.

Prospective volunteers also may contact Dowd and Terry at the Northborough Town Hall Offices. He is the town clerk, and she is the health agent.

“If you want to help out, we’d love to talk to you,” Dowd said. 

Town Administrator John Coderre said that “one of the things that we realized in some of the storms that we experienced as of late is that we could be a little bit more prepared than we have been to open a smaller shelter.”

Dowd said that “during the past several years, we’ve had more than our fair share of storms that have caused some issues in town,” and Northborough has needed shelters “primarily due to power outages.” 

“We do need to be able to react when there’s a need locally, especially on a smaller scale,” he said.

Dowd said that over the past year, he and Terry have been ”working to prepare the town better for those events.” 

Previously, when Northborough needed cots for a shelter, “everyone in that situation in the area was trying to get cots. It was almost impossible,” he said. 

Last year, town meeting approved funding for a trailer to house cots and supplies for a Northborough shelter “so we don’t have to go scrambling at the last minute,” Dowd said.

Also,  a Homeland Security grant funded additional cots, he said. 

Terry said communications was another area that was reviewed.

Northborough has purchased the CodeRED emergency notification network, which community members can sign up for, she said. The system is expected to launch here soon.

Northborough also now has an emergency food agreement with Wegman’s.

Terry said she “created a menu with multiple varieties of food items” and which was approved by Wegmans.