Blizzard 2013: Travel Ban Over at 4 PM

Editor's note: Westwood-centric updates on the blizzard (cancellations, emergency notices) will be posted here.

*Update, 1 p.m., Feb. 9: The travel ban for non-emergency residents will be lifted at 4 p.m. Saturday.

*Update, Saturday morning: snowfall totals for the region so far range from 14 to 18 inches (snow drifts make it appear like more in some areas). In Westwood, power outages haven't been a major issue so far, with only two of NStar's 5,618 customers out as of 8:30 a.m.

*Update: Westwood Emergency Management Director Michael Jaillet declared a snow and ice emergency for the town until 6 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, "to facilitate snow and ice removal."

"Parking on town ways is hereby prohibited during the period of the emergency and vehicles parked on town roadways in violation of the ban may be subject to ticketing and/or towing at the owner's expense. Further, given the prediction of blizzard conditions Friday evening through Saturday morning which are predicted to have snow falls of 2 1/2 feet with wind gust in excess of 30 MPH causing drifting snow up to 5 feet, residents are strongly advised to stay off the roadways in order to avoid the possibility of being stranded and possibly being buried under snow drifts." 

*Update, 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8: Gov. Deval Patrick signed an executive order banning all drivers after 4 p.m. He said as many people need to be off the road as possible. This is first time he has signed such an order: the last time an order like this has been issued was after the Blizzard of '78. Violators could be fined up to $500 and be sentenced to a year in jail. However, the main purpose is to get non-essential people off the roads: not to levy fines, the governor said. 

Update Thursday afternoon from Brendan Ryan, highway and grounds superintendent for Westwood: "As far as our preparation, we are ready to go.  We have been communicating with all other departments and preparing for all scenarios including snow removal and tree/power outages. We will have our staff and entire fleet of operational equipment and trucks ready for the challenge ahead. We will also be using a private contractor helping our snow removal, with an additional 28 pieces of equipment, including front end loaders and ten wheel dump trucks."

Update, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7: Westwood Schools are canceled Friday.

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As we ready ourselves for and make our way through the blizzard, please use this story on Westwood Patch to help out your neighbors. Know of a cancellation because of the weather? Let us know and we'll add it in the text, or you can add it yourself in the comments. Once the blizzard is underway, report poor road conditions or downed trees/impassable streets, here. We'll do the same.

We want to make sure that Westwood stays connected. For live updates during the storm, be sure to like Westwood Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

As you send us messages through social media and email (danielle.horn@patch.com), we’ll make sure the information is added to this story. If you notice hazardous conditions, please alert authorities and then let us know so we can spread the word quickly.

Westwood Patch is all about connecting neighbors and helping neighbors, so we hope you’ll find this information hub helpful during the storm. Stay safe!

IMPORTANT NUMBERS & WEBSITES: 

• In an emergency, dial 911
• Police Department: 781-320-1000
• Fire Department: 781-326-3885
• DPW: 781-326-8661
• NSTAR outages: 1-800-592-2000 
• NStar Outage Map