Boston sends emergency workers, generators to New York

The city says 13 volunteers from the Office of Emergency Management and the Boston Centers for Youth and Families are headed to New York tomorrow to help with planning and logistics in New York's emergency operations center and with running an emergency shelter. The workers will spend the next week or two in New York, according to the mayor's office, which adds Boston has lent three generators to the New York Fire Department.

Employees volunteering from the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) are Ronald Bashista, Sean Grady, and Carmela Hinderaker. As Director of Planning and Preparedness, Ronald Bashista oversees all emergency planning activities and is responsible for ensuring the city is adequately prepared for all hazards. He coordinates emergency response from Boston’s Emergency Operations Center. Sean Grady is the Logistics Coordinator for OEM and manages all emergency equipment and resources for the city, deploying the equipment during large scale emergencies. As Training and Exercise Coordinator, Carmela Hinderaker coordinates the city’s training and exercise programs to ensure state and federal compliance, as well as assisting in coordinating emergency response from the Boston Emergency Operations Center.

Ten certified shelter managers from BCYF will be assigned to run a shelter upon arrival in NYC. Additional languages spoken by the BCYF volunteers are Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Tagalog. The group will monitor and maintain safety in the shelter, as well as assist shelter residents with day-to-day needs.