HARWICH- In the midst of this week’s two tornados that touched down on Cape, Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey met with local officials and residents in Harwich to discuss the aftermath of the catastrophic storm.
This is just days after a State of Emergency was declared here on Cape, which in turn green-lighted the Army National Guard to help with relief efforts.
Senator Ed Markey (D) (RIGHT) speaks with Army National Guard Lieutenant at Harwich Transfer Station along with Congressman Bill Keating (D) (MIDDLE) after tornado
“The community has come together, they are working in a coordinated and a very effective way [and] it is pretty clear that there was severe damage which did take place,” says Markey.
During the inspection, Senator Markey visited local neighborhoods and the town’s transfer station to see how much debris is being processed in order for locals to get back to a state of normality.
After the visit Markey pointed out to residents that “Congressman Keating and I are going to work very closely with the local communities to document the damage so that the maximum amount of [federal] help [can] come.”
Other recourses used to help in the cleanup included members of the Massachusetts State Police, local law enforcement, firefighters, the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office.
Also on hand were hundreds of Eversource employees from around the East Coast, most of which were activated by the Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito moments after the first tornado touched down.
“I just wanted to express our very sincere appreciation to the Baker/Polito administration for the strong support that we have received… starting with the moment that the tornado touched down she was going to reach out to Eversource and make sure that we got what we needed, which has allowed our power to come back within 48 hours,” says 1st Barnstable District State Rep. Tim Whelan.
The National Weather Service says two EF1 tornados with wind speeds of up to 110 mph were to blame for wreaking havoc in South-Eastern Massachusetts.
It is still un-clear when federal funding will begin to flow to affected areas but Markey made it clear that he intends to try and expedite the process any way possible, ensuring visitors that the Cape is going to recover strong, and be back open for business quickly.
PHOTO’S AND STORY BY: JOHN BONDAREK- CapeCod.Com News Center
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