Record cold takes big toll on the region
By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff, 1/15/2004
For full article see page one of the Globe North section of the Boston Globe 1/15/04
A fresh blast of Arctic air sweeping the region has made the North Shore feel more like the North Pole, prompting local communities to button up for record cold for the second time in a week.
Bone dry, cold air from northern Canada was expected to bring record temperatures of 1 to 6 below zero today and tomorrow, and wind-chill readings of 15 below zero, said Mike Jackson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton.
"It hasn't been this cold in a couple of decades," Jackson said in an interview Tuesday. "The wind flow is coming out of northern Canada, near the North Pole. It's mighty cold up there. That's why the temperature is dropping."
....Fuel assistance programs also expect a spike in demand for assistance to continue this weekend.
"Our call volume has nearly doubled, from no more than 20 calls a day to nearly 40," said Elliott Jacobson, energy director at Action Inc. in Gloucester, serving seven Cape Ann communities. "When it gets really cold in the house, for many people, that's the motivating factor."
Community Action in Haverhill received about 120 phone calls a day for heating help, about 20 percent more than average, said John Condon, director of the fuel assistance program. While most made it through last week's cold snap, many now are in danger of running out of oil or money to pay for it, he said.
One resident looking to conserve fuel shut off her heat last week. But that led to a burst pipe and a call for help to clean up that mess. Condon is prepared for new calls as temperatures plunge again. Said Condon, "We've got a feeling this one is going to be bad."
Advocates for the homeless also are working to make sure no one is left out in the cold. Emergency shelters in Beverly and Gloucester plan to stay open 24 hours this weekend.
Full article can also be read online at:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/01/15/record_cold_takes_big_toll_on_the_region/
