Massachusetts
Massachusetts teams joins hurricane relief efforts in North Carolina, Florida
Massachusetts emergency relief teams are joining in on the national aid efforts in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“It’s been a crazy, crazy and rough ride,” said Robert Brown, CEO of Broco Energy, speaking from where he and teams were providing relief in Florida. “But when you see what you’re supporting — usually the guys that do this have a call to help, or first responder mentality, so they don’t mind working the long hours, because we know we’re providing some essential aids to get these communities back up and running.”
Brown said teams from Broco, a Haverhill-based, veteran-owned heating oil and emergency service company, went down ahead of Helene on Sept. 23 and are likely to stay another month.
The company first brought several trucks down to Tallahassee, where Helene was first predicted to hit, and moved through North Carolina and then the Gulf Coast of Florida with over 50 trucks as the storms pillaged the southern states.
They were far from the only Massachusetts volunteers to rush to aid after the natural disasters.
From Massachusetts and New England fuel companies, Brown said, they’ve worked collaboratively on relief efforts with from Townsend Energy, Tasha Fuels and Lake Region Energy, among others from across the country.
Over 50 Massachusetts Red Cross volunteers made their way down to southern states in the wake of the hurricanes. The organization also put out calls for volunteers, blood and donations and noted $250,000 donations from DraftKings and the GE Vernova Foundation.
“We have bottled water, snacks on hand, containers for hot meals when the time comes,” said one Red Cross volunteer Kelly Isenor in a video posted by the organization from Tallahassee before Milton. “We’ll shelter in place for the duration of the storm, then as soon as its safe to get out there, we are ready to go and meet the needs for anything that comes in from hurricane Milton.”
Massachusetts Task Force 1, one of the 28 FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams with 16 members based out of Beverly, was first deployed to North Carolina in late September to assist land and water rescue operations after Helene. Over two weeks later, the team’s recovery operations are still ongoing in Madison County.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency also announced it would send down three emergency management personnel to assist efforts in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia on Oct. 9. The staff are helping to support communications, logistics and other aid efforts in the region.
Brown, a former Navy Seabee steelworker and Chelsea Fire Department captain who’s responded to natural disasters since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, called the scene the “largest I’ve ever seen.”
“There’s a lot of organized chaos, there’s a lot of moving parts,” said Brown. “But things change so quickly, and we’re moving truck to different areas, nursing homes, and the critical facilities, supporting the relief efforts in the hospitals. This incident scaled up so fast.”
Ways to assist hurricane Milton and Helene relief efforts can be found on FEMA’s Volunteer and Donate page.


Massachusetts
Pedestrian hospitalized after being hit in Waltham
A person was hit by a vehicle Tuesday morning in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Police responded just after 10 a.m. to the crash at the intersection of Elm Street and Carter Street.
Officers began treating the pedestrian, who was then taken to an area hospital with unspecified injuries.
The driver stayed at the scene, the Waltham Police Department said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Massachusetts
People are moving out of Massachusetts but the population still grew
Is support for Trump waning due to immigration policy?
A growing backlash to ICE tactics is fueling a major shift in public opinion on Trump’s immigration strategy.
More people left Massachusetts than moved in from 2024 to 2025, with the state ranking fourth in the nation for net domestic migration loss, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Thousands of residents left the Bay State for other states during that period. Regionally, the Northeast experienced a net domestic migration loss of 205,552, according to the data.
Despite the domestic outflow, Massachusetts’ population still grew by 15,524 when factoring in births, deaths, and international migration.
Here’s what to know about the states with the highest and lowest net domestic migration across the country:
Massachusetts’ net domestic, international migration from 2024 to 2025
From July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025, Massachusetts had a net domestic migration of -33,340, with 33,340 more people moving out of the state than moving in, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Meanwhile, the state had a net international migration of 40,240, as 40,240 more people moved into Massachusetts from abroad than left.
States with highest net domestic migration from 2024 to 2025
Here were the states with the highest net domestic migration from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025, according to U.S. Census data:
- North Carolina: 84,064 residents
- Texas: 67,299 residents
- South Carolina: 66,622 residents
- Tennessee: 42,389 residents
- Arizona: 31,107 residents
- Georgia: 27,333 residents
- Alabama: 23,358 residents
- Florida: 22,517 residents
- Idaho: 19,915 residents
- Nevada: 14,914 residents
States with lowest net domestic migration from 2024 to 2025
Here were the states with the lowest net domestic migration from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025, according to U.S. Census data:
- California: -229,077 residents
- New York: -137,586 residents
- Illinois: -40,017 residents
- New Jersey: -37,428 residents
- Massachusetts: -33,340 residents
- Louisiana: -14,387 residents
- Maryland: -12,127 residents
- Colorado: -12,100 residents
- Hawaii: -8,876 residents
- Connecticut: -5,945 residents
New England states’ net domestic migration from 2024 to 2025
Here’s how New England states ranked on net domestic migration from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025, according to U.S. Census data:
- Maine: 7,406 residents (ranked 18th nationally)
- New Hampshire: 6,554 residents (ranked 22nd nationally)
- Vermont: -726 residents (ranked 34th nationally)
- Rhode Island: -1,551 residents (ranked 36th nationally)
- Connecticut: -5,945 residents (ranked 42nd nationally)
- Massachusetts: -33,340 residents (ranked 47th nationally)
Census regions with highest net domestic migration from 2024 to 2025
Here’s how the four Census regions ranked on net domestic migration from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025, according to U.S. Census data:
- South: 357,790 residents
- Midwest: 16,040 residents
- West: -168,278 residents
- Northeast: -205,552 residents
Massachusetts
Planning a staycation? Tripadvisor recommends this MA city
Spend a day in Salem, Massachusetts
Join us as we check out landmarks in Salem, Massachusetts.
Are you thinking about spending some time off but don’t want to splurge on a big international vacation?
A summer 2025 report found that many Americans are choosing nearby staycations over changing time zones.
And Tripadvisor said one of the best travel experiences you could have in the United States would actually be a guided walking tour in Salem, Massachusetts, and the Freedom Trail walking tour in Boston.
As part of 2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things To Do, Tripadvisor said that History and Hauntings of Salem Guided Walking Tour is the second-best experience in the U.S.
As we move on from 2025 onto 2026, here’s what you need to know about this Bay State travel opportunity.
Tripadvisor said Salem has the second best experience in the U.S.
Tripadvisor said the History and Hauntings of Salem Guided Walking Tour is one of the best experiences in the United States. Its AI summary tool said the tour guides paint a vivid portrait of one of America’s most macabre towns.
Here’s what Tripadvisor said about it: “There are many Salem tours out there but few are as compelling as this one, led by a local historian who brings alive the city’s history at the time of day you choose. For a spookier experience, pick a nighttime tour led by lantern light. Visit the Burying Point Cemetery, Witch House, and Ropes Mansion garden as your guide tells stories of the haunted history of Salem, Massachusetts.”
The itinerary says the tour begins at Salem Old Town Hall and ends at Hamilton Hall, visiting sites like the Bewitched statue of Elizabeth Montgomery and The Witch House at Salem on the way.
You can book History and Hauntings of Salem Guided Walking Tour at this link here. Be aware that this event is booked 23 days in advance, the tour’s Tripadvisor page said.
Kathleen Wong contributed to the reporting of this story. Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@gannett.com.
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