Spfld Emergency leaders plan ahead

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Springfield's emergency managers will meet Monday morning, ahead of Hurricane Sandy, to discuss their plan of action.

On Sunday night, the city's Deputy Fire Chief Glenn Guyer told 22News that residents should be prepared. He encourages everyone to go over their supply kits at home; make sure you have things like: batteries, radios, and canned goods. Clearing the leaves out of the storm drains and gutters around your home may also help prevent flooding and further damage.

Being that power outages are expected throughout the area, residents are being cautioned not to go near any downed wires, and to treat them as if they are high-voltage lines. If you'd like to report downed wires in your area, you can call 3-1-1. But if you do not have a life-threatening emergency do NOT call 9-1-1. Guyer said the emergency dispatchers will have enough calls to handle as it is.

The city of Springfield has not yet designated any shelters for residents. At this point in time, it's still unclear whether they'll be needed. Emergency managers in Hampden County told 22News over the weekend that it's hard to determine where the troubled areas may be. So as a precaution, they have to make sure the area they open up a shelter, is a safe one.