Hurricane serves as wake-up call

The chaos wrought 1,300 miles away by Hurricane Katrina has been a wake-up call to those who oversee responses to emergencies in local cities and towns.

''It has certainly got us rethinking things," said Maynard Fire Chief Stephen Kulik. ''We wouldn't have the flooding like down there, but the simple fact is that if you have to move that many people, that would be a heck of a challenge."

While some local officials may have trouble envisioning a catastrophe like Katrina striking Boston's western suburbs, some say that it's prompted them to look at their own plans to safeguard citizens.

''To accommodate people for a month, I don't know anyone who plans for that," said Medfield Police Chief Richard Hurley.

Medfield does have 21 buses to use in an evacuation, Hurley said, as well as enough shelter, food, and water to accommodate the entire town's population temporarily.

''It won't be comfortable, but they'd be OK for three days," he said.

In Medway, Emergency Management director John Cicciu is frustrated by the town's limited resources. The town has shelter for only 1,000 of the town's 9,900 residents, and has 110 cots and military rations that would last 50 families a week. Limited by a budget of only about $400 a year, Cicciu, who was the Red Cross district chairman in Newton during the Blizzard of 1978, relies on donations and a dozen local volunteers trained in first aid and shelter operations.

''What I'd like to see personally is a little more money funneled into the smaller towns," he said. ''What happens is the bigger communities get the bigger bone, and the smaller communities get cast aside."

All communities in Massachusetts have their own emergency management plans, which are expected to be posted online by the end of the year, said Peter Judge, public information officer for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. In general, those plans are supposed to designate shelters, which should be equipped with food and water, and evacuation routes.

''Generally speaking, I think we're very well prepared here in the Commonwealth," Judge said.

Many communities test their emergency plans in regular drills. Wellesley recently staged a drill with some adjoining towns that simulated a terrorist attack. Bellingham's town administrator, Denis Fraine, said that even before Katrina hit, town officials discussed staging a mock natural disaster. ''I don't know if we're prepared to handle anything like that right now, so it's eye-opening."

Other towns see their limitations as well. Southborough's emergency response plan hasn't been updated in two years, said Fire Chief John Mauro Jr., who added that he plans to review them soon. Only one shelter is equipped to prepare food, and the generators would last only a few hours. Southborough has no water or food set aside for an emergency, Mauro said, and no grocery stores.

''You go and you make all the plans you can, but some things you can't control," said Mauro, the town's emergency management director. ''There are plans. Do they get updated enough? Probably not. Do they get executed enough? Probably not."

In Franklin, several town departments review the town's response plan each year and look for ways to improve it, said Fire Chief Gary McCarraher. Town officials are slated to discuss the plan Wednesday.

''We always see room for improvement," McCarraher said.

One issue McCarraher said he will raise is whether the town should stockpile food and water for residents. He also believes emergency officials need to improve communication with residents about shelters.

The potential failure of cellphones and other communication systems pose another challenge to planners. The state has established a communications network that includes land lines, cellphones, satellite phones, and the Internet.

State Police also have caches of portable radio systems for use where they are needed. But Judge acknowledged that communications systems can be weak links. ''Communications is always going to be something we have to address," he said. ''It's never 100 percent."

Newton Police Lieutenant Hugh Downing said the city has joint dispatch for the police and fire departments that allows them to talk to each other. ''We're confident we can respond, regardless of the type of incident that occurs here," Downing said. ''Of course, we would not be able to do it on our own. We'd have to rely on other communities, state agencies, and federal agencies.

Waltham Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy said she believes people need more education about what to do in the event of an emergency. Recalling drills designed to prepare for a nuclear attack when she was a student, she said schools might consider similar training.

McCarthy also said parents should be instructing children as to how to handle certain events. ''My parents told us, 'Don't go outside after a hurricane because the wires might be down and you might get electrocuted.' "

Wellesley's emergency response is coordinated by a team that includes representatives of the health, police, and fire departments; local colleges and hospitals; and the Red Cross. The team has evacuation plans but, according to health director Janice Trainor-Tellier, those plans can vary dramatically depending on the nature of the emergency.

In case the power were to go out in Ashland, the town's Fire Department has a list of about a dozen people in town who need electricity for life-support systems, and firefighters are prepared to bring them temporary generators, said Ashland Fire Lieutenant David Iarussi, the department's public information officer.

In Watertown, the emergency response plan includes evacuation routes, temporary shelters, and plans for emergency vaccinations. The town's evacuation sites can accommodate all residents, and shelter is available to at least 3,100, or 10 percent, of the town's population.

Though the town doesn't have any food or water stashed away, Fire Chief Mario Orangio said the town, like other communities, has arrangements with the Red Cross and the Salvation Army to provide those items if needed.

Many towns also turn to volunteers for help. Watertown recently got a $6,000 grant to buy tools, helmets, first-aid kits, and T-shirts for residents who volunteer to be part of the town's Community Emergency Response Team, which would assist in emergencies, Orangio said. The T-shirts and helmets will help officials distinguish between trained and untrained volunteers, he said. While many officials acknowledge that it's difficult to prepare for every scenario, they try to envision all possibilities. About three years ago, Marlborough Hospital was involved in a drill that showed it could function without electricity for four days, said Donald Cusson, Marlborough's emergency manager. The city regularly adjusts the dam at Fort Meadow Reservoir during storms so the water doesn't rise too much.

''You try to be prepared for everything," Cusson said, ''and hope nothing happens."

Globe correspondents Paul Della Valle, Micah Sachs, Connie Paige, Jennifer Fenn Lefferts, Jennifer Rosinski, Lisa Keen, Christina Pazzanese, Matt McDonald, and Lauren K. Meade contributed to this report.