If in doubt, throw it out

If you're wondering what can be saved and what must be discarded after power to the refrigerator has been out for an extended period of time, visit this link: https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/refridg_food.html.

Chief asks everyone to stay off Hull's roads

Fire Chief Chris Russo issued a storm update this afternoon, just after high tide. While he reopened the roads after the tide water receded, he said he expects to close them again in advance of tonight's high tide, around midnight. The chief, who heads up Hull's Emergency Management Team, is asking that – unless it's vital – please stay off the roads.

Here's the gist of his urgent message:

"There are two – possibly three – more tides that will be worse! I will be ordering the roads closed again tonight when we are again flooded. If there are urgent items needed, please take care of them quickly this afternoon, when the roads are open.

We are seeing people all over the South Shore making very poor decisions and travelling into these waters. When darkness sets in later and the water comes back we don't want anyone to lose their life."

Flooding isolates town at high tide

Hull Fire Chief Christopher Russo has ordered the entry and exit roads of Hull closed as flood waters have made many streets impassable.

Unless there is an urgent reason for residents to be on the roads, public safety officials are urging people to shelter in place.  

The Memorial School at 81 Central Ave. has been opened for emergency shelter for residents who need to evacuate. 

High tide is 11:17 a.m. and the roads are expected to be closed for several hours.

To stream Hull Police and Fire Department calls on your computer, access the Patriot Ledger scanner at hullwickedlocal.com.

Coast Guard warns mariners, prepares for storm, coastal flooding in Northeast

The Coast Guard is advising mariners and the public along the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coast to exercise vigilance and extreme caution Thursday night through Saturday as a powerful storm approaches.

Conditions are expected to deteriorate Thursday night. Along with heavy rain and strong wind gusts, high tide cycles from Friday into Saturday are at risk for widespread, major coastal flooding. The intensity and height of the predicted storm’s wave action combined with the astronomically high tides, and the long duration of this coastal storm, could significantly exceed the coastal flooding damage experienced during the nor’easter this past January.

The forecasted high winds, rain, coastal flooding, and heavy seas will make operation in the maritime environment dangerous.

Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod aircraft have been flying storm tracks ahead of the storm to warn mariners of the impending storm. Click here for audio of the broadcast.

Coast Guard Cutter Spencer, a 270-foot cutter homeported in Boston, will be staged off the coast to respond to offshore search and rescue cases.

Due to the extreme conditions some Coast Guard assets may have limited ability to respond to vessels in distress. Therefore, waterfront operators, mariners, fishing vessels, recreational boaters, and the general public should exercise extreme caution as conditions begin to deteriorate on Thursday night.

Mariners and recreational boaters are warned to take the following precautions to protect their vessels and their crews:

• If a storm is approaching, do not go out to sea.

• Double-check lines when securing your boat. Take precautions for items stored loosely aboard.

• Secure all paddle craft and ensure they are not located in or near the tidal surge zone.

• Contact local marinas for advice on how best to secure your vessel.

• If you must get underway, create a float plan and send it to your friends and families before getting underway. Ensure that you have the proper signaling devices onboard your vessel and the correct amount of life jackets onboard.

• The storm is likely to produce dangerous winds and coastal flash flooding. Personal watercraft and paddle craft users are advised to stay off the water due extremely hazardous sea conditions. Also, swimmers, surfers, and wind surfers are strongly urged to stay out of the water during this period of heavy weather. 

• Always wear a proper life jacket when on a boat or personal watercraft.

All boaters and those living along coastal communities are urged to secure their small craft, including canoes, kayaks, and paddle craft, due to the expected high winds, heavy seas, and storm surge. Paddle craft owners are urged to pull and secure vessels well above high water levels to avoid craft being pulled off the shore. Once at sea, unmanned craft often result in complex, unnecessary searches thereby reducing Coast Guard's capability to respond to actual distress at sea. Also, please clearly mark all paddle craft with owner's name and contact information.

Coast Guard Sector Boston’s area of responsibility extends from Plymouth, MA, to the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border and is expected to be heavily impacted.

“Our primary concern is ensuring the safety of the people and mariners who live and work throughout the New England coastal community,” said Capt. Claudia Gelzer, Commander, Coast Guard Sector Boston. “We strongly advise everyone to stay vigilant, pay attention to any weather updates, and avoid putting themselves or their loved ones at risk as the storm passes off the coast.”

For additional information on the storm, visit the National Weather Service: http://www.weather.gov/box/

DPW makes sand – and sandbags – available to residents

Hull DPW Director James Dow posted the following news item this morning:

Due to pending torrential rains and potential localized street and neighborhood flooding, the Department of Public Works is offering free sandbags to any current Hull residents.

Come to the DPW garage at 9 Nantasket Ave. to get the bags. There is a pile of sand out behind the garage in our yard that has a "sand filling station".

There is a shovel at the sand pile and you must fill the bags yourself. If you have physical limitations or are unable to fill and load them, please come into the office and we will do our best to assist you if personnel are available.

Times issues correction for Feb. 8 story error

A page 3 story in the Feb. 8 Hull Times reports that Sunset Bay Marina is up for sale.

That's wrong. It's Sunset Marine that's on the market.

Sunset Bay Marina is at 2 A St., where preparations for another successful boating season are well underway.

Sunset Marine, the property owned by William Kelley, is at 839 Nantasket Ave. As the story notes, the marina and two adjacent apartment buildings are being marketed by Colliers.

We sincerely regret the error. 

Town seeks seasonal officers

The Hull Police Department is accepting applications for seasonal police officers this summer. 

Open to women and men from any town, becoming a seasonal police officer is a great way to gain real-world experience and on-the-job training. Most applicants have not been to a full-time police academy and becoming a seasonal officer makes them more marketable to their resident department for sponsorship if they decide they would like to pursue a full-time police officer position.

Led by Hull Police Sgt. Scott F. Saunders, seasonal officers are led through a series of tests throughout the hiring process. Candidates go through a background check, medical checkup, firearms qualification course, physical agility test, and in-house training before going out onto the streets as an officer. Not only do the tests and training prepare them for their seasonal position at Hull, but it also helps prepare them for full-time positions. 

"Our program is a great way to get people in here and give them some practical experience,” Sgt. Saunders said. “A lot of applicants don’t truly know the ins and outs of being a police office,  and our program helps them figure out if they would like to pursue this career full-time in the future.”

The position runs from Memorial Day to Sept. 13 and includes three shifts per week. After Sept. 13, officers can apply to be special officers, where they will be sworn in and extend their service through the winter months with two shifts per week.

To be considered, applicants must be 21 years of age, have graduated from an MPTC Reserve Police Academy, be CPR- and first aid certified, submit to a full background and CORI check, and complete a medical and PAT test at their own cost. 

Interested applicants should contact Sgt. Saunders at ssaunders@hullpolice.org by March 1 for details and/or consideration.

Nomination papers for state office will be available beginning Friday

The 2018 election cycle officially kicks off at noon Friday, when nomination papers for this year's state primaries and general election will be available.

Potential candidates for state legislative offices and county posts will have until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1 to submit their paperwork to local officials to have their signatures certified. For federal and statewide office hopefuls, the deadline is a week later, May 8. State and federal candidates not running with a party affiliation have until July 31.

One U.S. Senate seat – now held by Sen. Elizabeth Warren – and all nine Congressional seats will be on the ballot, as will the constitutional offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, and auditor. All 200 seats in the state Legislature will be up, for two-year terms.

The signature-gathering requirements range from 150 for a state representative to 10,000 for U.S. senator, governor and lieutenant governor, and attorney general .

Primaries are scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 4, and the state election is Nov. 6.

Nomination papers will be available in the elections division of Secretary of State William Galvin's office, room 1705 in the state office building at One Ashburton Place in Boston, as well as regional offices in Fall River and Springfield. - Katie Lannan/SHNS