Office of Emergency Management

Monthly Preparedness

January Emergency Preparedness:

The most severe winter storms in the northeast typically occur during January and February, so it’s important to be prepared for the many travel risks winter weather poses. It is best to avoid driving during winter storms – especially nighttime storms – unless absolutely necessary, and you may consider public transportation or postponing non-essential travel until roads are cleared.

If you do have to go out, make sure your vehicle is working properly and stocked with basic winter driving equipment. Always clear snow and ice from windows, lights, the hood, and the roof before driving. Keep your headlights on and increase your following distance from the car in front of you so you have plenty of room to stop on slippery roads. Keep your gas tank as full as you can so that you don’t get stranded in cold or snow. If you do get stranded, stay in your vehicle. You can run the engine for about 10 minutes per hour to run the heater and charge your cellphone but open a window slightly to let fresh air in and avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Learn more at mass.gov/winter-weather-driving.

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Organized by Community Lifelines

The City of Somerville organizes response and recovery activities into Community Lifelines, which enable continuous operation of critical functions that are essential to human health and economic security. Learn more about these Lifelines and the departments they are made up of below.

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Safety and Security

The Safety and Security Community Lifeline encompasses public safety and departmental operations that allow for incident stabilization and continuous delivery of government services. This lifeline consists of five components:

• Law enforcement
  • Somerville Police Department
• Fire service
  • Somerville Fire Department
• Search and rescue
  • Somerville Fire Department
• Government services
  • Mayor's Office
  • Office of Emergency Management
  • Historic Preservation
  • Schools
  • City Clerk
• Community safety
  • Department of Public Works
  • Somerville Fire Department
  • Somerville Police Department
  • Office of Emergency Management

Food, Hydration, and Shelter

The Food, Hydration, and Shelter Community Lifeline encompasses infrastructure that allows for continuous food, hydration, and housing services as well as the provision of emergency support in the event of a disruption to any of those services. This lifeline is segmented into four components:

• Food
  • Health and Human Services
• Hydration
  • Water and Sewer
• Shelter
  • Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development
• Agriculture
  • Health and Human Services (HHS) - Food Access and Health Communities

Health and Medical

The Health and Medical Community Lifeline covers all aspect of medical services required during an emergency incident to include the medical chain. This lifeline is segmented into five components:

• Medical care
  • Somerville Fire Department
  • Health and Human Services (HHS)
  • Cataldo Ambulance
• Patient movement
  • Somerville Fire Department
  • Cataldo Ambulance
• Fatality management
  • Health and Human Services (HHS)
  • State Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
• Public health
  • Health and Human Services (HHS)
• Medical supply chain
  • Health and Human Services (HHS)

Energy

The Energy Community Lifeline is focused on only electricity and fuel, both of which are essential to a successful response operation. The City of Somerville utilizes Eversource as its supplier of electricity and National Grid and Eversource as its suppliers of natural gas. Although the City relies on private entities for the maintenance and management of these services, departments in the City are responsible for coordinating on those efforts in support. The lifeline consists of two components:

• Power grid
  • Department of PUblic Works - Electric Lights and Lines
  • Office of Emergency Management
  • Eversource
• Fuel
  • Office of Emergency Management
  • National Grid

Communications

The Communications Community Lifeline encompasses the telecommunications infrastructure and operations that allow for residents, visitors, public agencies, and private organizations to communicate efficiently and effectively using 21st century technology. The various telecommunications networks, equipment, and operations are provided, managed, and supported by a variety of public and private partners, including the City of Somerville and various municipal partners and telecommunication providers. This lifeline is segmented into five components:

• Infrastructure
  • Infrastructure and Asset Management
• Alerts, warnings, and notifications
  • Communications and Community Engagement
  • Office of Emergency Management
  • Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)
• 911 and dispatch
  • Somerville Police Department
  • Somerville Fire Department
• Responder communications
  • Information Technology
  • Somerville Police Department
  • Somerville Fire Department
• Finance

Transportation

The Transportation Community Lifeline covers all forms of transportation of people and resources to and from an incident. This lifeline consists of four components:

• Highway/road/motor vehicle
  • Department of Public Works
• Mass transit
  • Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development - Mobility
  • Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority
• Railway
  • Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development - Mobility
  • Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
• Aviation
  • Office of Emergency Management
  • Massachusetts Port Authority (MassPort)

Hazardous Materials

The Hazardous Material Community Lifeline covers the management (including container and removal) of all hazardous materials. This lifeline consists of two components:

• Facilities
  • Fire Department
  • Office of Emergency Management
  • Local Emergency Management Planning Committee
• Hazardous materials, pollutants, and contaminants
  • Fire Department
  • Office of Emergency Management
  • Massachusetts Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Division
  • Local Emergency Management Planning Committee
  • Mystic Regional Emergency Planning Committee

Water Systems

The Water Systems Community Lifeline encompasses water infrastructure and wastewater management. Water supply and sewage-disposal services are provided by the Somerville Water and Sewer Department. The City of Somerville's water supply comes from the Quabbin Reservoir, about 65 miles west of Boston, and the Wachusett Reservoir, about 35 miles west of Boston. This lifeline consists of two components:

• Potable water infrastructure
  • Intake
  • Treatment
  • Storage
  • Distribution
• Wastewater management
  • Collection
  • Storage
  • Treatment
  • Discharge

Resources and Tips

• The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has created a list of tips for how to prepare for emergencies. This list can be found here.
• Sign up for alerts in your neighborhood and the entire city using the Somerville City Alerts option. You can choose to receive alerts via text, phone calls, or email, as well as specify the language you receive the alerts in.
• In the event of an emergency, dial 911. If you have a non-emergency question about city services or processes, you can call or message 311.
• Follow the Office of Emergency Management on Facebook for news and updates.
• You can find a list of emergency hotlines here.
• A list of emergency services, including information about food, housing, and shelter, can be found here.

Programs and Initiatives

Winter Warming Center 2025-26

The City of Somerville Winter Warming Center will operate seven nights a week from 5 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. at the former Cummings School located at 42 Prescott Street. Clients will have access to hot meals, safe sleeping spaces, and on-site housing navigation and case management services.  For more information, click the button below.

Warming Center Information

Useful Links

• A list of safety preparedness tips from Ready.gov
• Learn about Somerville's Hazard Mitigation Plan
• Get details about the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)
• Understand the types of hazardous weather that affects you and your family where you live
• Weather safety tips from the National Weather Service