BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, along with other Boston public safety officials held a press conference Thursday to discuss emergency weather preparedness plans.
While Boston is familiar with extreme weather, Mayor Wu said the plan is not only to implement new approaches to weather prep, but also improve on what they currently have in place.
From heavy snow to scolding heat, Massachusetts has faced plenty of harsh conditions over the past decade. Mayor Wu said she believes this is going to be a usual occurrence. For this reason, the City has announced a number of weather safety precautions they plan to enact.
“We’re expanding our urban tree canopy to protect communities from extreme heat, installing short term solutions like deployable flood barriers, and long term solutions such as improving storm water management, and building climate-resilient parks in open spaces,” Mayor Wu announced in a press conference.
The City says it is time they implement these plans in order to better suit communities at greater risk of floods and other extreme weather measures. Empowering residents and lowering citywide risk is a key point for Mayor Wu.
“So our proactive planning means that we can identify and fill in the gaps in our preparedness so we’re ready and resilient if and when an extreme storm makes its way to Boston,” Mayor Wu said in a statement. “Make no mistake, being prepared for the climate crisis is ongoing work.”
Boston residents are encouraged to download the Boston 311 app for emergency alerts and information.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Brooke McCarthy (@BrookeWBZ) has more.