Preparing for a Disaster: 5 Things to Do, Just in Case

September is National Preparedness Month.

You've heard all the "no-duh" tips before about preparing for a disaster - keep water and non-perishable food on hand, have a flashlight with extra batteries... But this month the federal government is hoping you will get down to details to make a plan for, not the unthinkable, but the inevitable: wild fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods or even terrorism and pandemics. Marlborough has had its fair share of disasterous weather, including Hurricane Irene and even the recent rain brought by the remnants of Hurricane Isaac. To get the word out FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Authority, has built an extensive website to help citizens plan and prepare. Ready.gov offers instructions on how to ready your family, your home, your car and …

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Hurricane Irene: What Do You Remember?

It was a year ago that Hurricane Irene swept through, bringing wind, rain and destruction to Marlborough.

In a far contrast to the sunny skies and mild temperatures today, a year ago many people were scrambling for generators and fresh water as Hurricane Irene hit Marlborough. Irene hit the edge of North Carolina on Aug. 27, 2011, as a Category 1 hurricane, according to this article in the Huffington Post. It was the first of its kind to hit land since Ike two years earlier, and most of the East Coast felt its effects, with 2.3 million under mandatory evacuation orders.  Patch MetroWest covered the effects on Marlborough and surrounding towns throughout in a live blog that spanned for days. Patch was there with extended coverage. The mess left in the wake of the storm required extended cleanup efforts. Many residents were left without power …

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Week in Review

Hurricane Irene Shuts Down Marlborough, Delays School

A look back at the week on Patch.

Here is collection of headlines from the past week on Marlborough Patch. Follow the link to see the stories: Monday, Aug. 29:  National Grid: Power May Not Be Restored for an Extended Period Marlborough Comes Back to Life as Irene Clean-Up Continues UPDATED: MPS Start Postponed to Sept. 6; AMSA, Assabet to Begin Tuesday Tuesday, Aug. 30: $100,000 Approved to Deal with Remnants of Irene VIDEO: Scenes from Irene Marlborough Businesses Assess Losses, Reopen After Hurricane Irene Wednesday, Aug. 31: Get the Power Back in Your Pocketbook with These Local Deals Schools Promise Laser-Like Focus on Student Achievement City to Open Irene Debris Drop-Off Center Through Sept. 17 Thursday, Sept. 1: 5 Things You Need to Know Today: Sept. 1 The …

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Social Media Saturday

Residents Use Marlborough Patch's Facebook Page to Discuss Irene

A column highlighting the trends, thoughts, and news from Facebook and Twitter.

Here at Marlborough Patch, we take social media pretty seriously. The platform is one way we look to interact with you, answer your questions and get to see what's on your mind. Social Media Saturday is a weekly feature where we highlight your questions and thoughts you've shared on Facebook, Twitter and other media throughout the past week. We'll also point you to some new and interesting pages you may not have known about before. Highlights of the Week: Currently, we've got 639 fans liking us on Facebook, which is a great thing. We've also got 482 followers on Twitter, with numbers growing every day. Here are some highlights of what took place this week: Social Media Page of the Week The Vin Bin has just relocated to Main Street. The …

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Viewfinder

IMAGE GALLERY: Cleaning Up After Irene

The clean-up began late Sunday in Marlborough and continued throughout the week.

Marlborough Patch contributor Sue Wambolt went out into the community earlier this week and captured some of the clean-up efforts made necessary by Hurricane Irene.  If you have an idea for future edition of Viewfinder, let us know by emailing josh.gray@patch.com.  Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on the latest Marlborough news, or simply hit the "like" button at the top of this page.

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City to Open Irene Debris Drop-Off Center Through Sept. 17

The Old Hudson Street Landfill will be open to homeowners to dispose of branches, leaves and other debris resulting from Hurricane Irene.

The City of Marlborough, Department of Public Works announced Tuesday that the city will be accepting branches and/or tree limbs from private residential property resulting from the Hurricane Irene storm event that swept through the region Sunday, Aug. 28. Bagged leaves may be left curbside and will be picked up with regular trash. Only single family, 2-family and 3-family residential properties, and only tree debris associated with this storm will be allowed and/or accepted at 402 Hudson Street at the “Old Hudson Street Landfill Site”. The hours of operation, duration and location for this storm debris site are as follows: Location: 402 Hudson Street – “Old Hudson Street Landfill Site” Time: Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. …

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Marlborough Businesses Assess Losses, Reopen After Hurricane Irene

Some businesses lost most perishables, while others were fortunate to have power restored in quick order.

Hurricane Irene effectively put Marlborough businesses and restaurants out of commission on Sunday. The high winds and driving rain caused approximately 20,000 National Grid customers to go dark, and with the darkness came a loss of income and inventory for area businesses. Several restaurants did not have power restored until late Monday. "We were closed on Sunday and Monday and we lost all our perishables," said Steve Dembro, owner of Stevie's Eatery inside the Job Lot plaza on East Main St., an area that reportedly did not have service restored until late Monday. "We did a shop this morning to restock and we are starting with zero again. We don't even have salad dressing yet, because we make it ourselves." Known for their barbecue …

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