With the upcoming landfall of Hurricane Sandy, and the issuance of high wind warnings through 6 a.m. Tuesday in the Taunton area, the question of whether or not Court closures will occur on Monday and Tuesday are now an issue.
"A high wind warning is issued when sustained winds of 40 mph or higher are expected for at least an hour...with gusts of 58 mph or greater at any time." See http://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=MAZ017&warncounty=MAC005&firewxzone=MAZ017&local_place1=&product1=High+Wind+Warning. They are predicting gusts "...up to 70 mph" as of this writing. Id. This makes travel very dangerous.
Monday through Tuesday morning is currently the peak of the storm in our area. Your primary concern can and should be your safety and the safety of your family. If you need emergency protection, such as an abuse prevention order, call your local police department. If the Courts have not been closed, and travel is dangerous, you should not travel. However, your assessment of the danger of travel may or may not be an adequate reason to not appear in Court if Courts are still open.
You can monitor whether the Courts have been closed in the following ways:
- Check www.mass.gov/courts for announcements of closures.
- Check www.mass.gov for announcements. Please note that a state of emergency, or the announcement that nonessential state employees should not come to work, does not mean that the Courts are closed. Court personnel are considered essential employees.
- Download the smartphone app Ping4Alerts! at http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/mema/ping4/get-emergency-information-on-your-smartphone.html for iPhone or Android. This will provide weather alerts, and may or may not have information about court closures. I have downloaded it, and it appears to get its weather news feed from my favorite source: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- Local radio and television may announce court closures.
- For employees of the courts, recorded messages may be left at 1-800-222-5178 or 617-742-8383 and messages will also be recorded on the following telephone numbers: Brooke Courthouse - 617-788-5399; Fall River Courthouse - 508-491-2899; Worcester Courthouse - 508-831-2499. However, I am not aware of any reason not to try those numbers ourselves; try to not call frequently, however, so that the phone lines are not clogged.
- Check here for informal updates. News may be unreliable due to power outages in my area.
- Check your cellphone. If you have a court date on Monday or Tuesday, I will attempt to text any news or updates concerning Court closures. News may be unreliable due to power and/or cellphone network outages in my area.
Batten down your hatches and be safe! If you are not in danger, try to enjoy this exhibition of the natural world's sheer power.