New Hampshire
Tornado watch issued for parts of New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts until 8 p.m.
CONCORD — The National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, warns residents and visitors in New Hampshire that there is an enhanced risk for severe storms Sunday.
At about 1 p.m., a tornado watch was issued for parts of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont until 8 p.m. by the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine. A tornado watch means current weather conditions could lead to a tornado, and you should be prepared to move to shelter. A warning means a tornado is occurring or about to happen, seek shelter immediately.
According to the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, thunderstorms are expected to develop between 2 to 4 p.m. and move southeast across the area through the evening by 9 p.m.
The New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management urges residents and visitors to prepare now for the possibility of damaging winds, isolated tornadoes, hail, and flash flooding.
“Stay informed to keep you and your family safe,” said HSEM Director Robert Buxton. “Review your family emergency plan now and make sure your emergency kit is stocked. Your kit should include important documents and contact information along with supplies.”
The NWS said there is the potential for winds over 70 mph, and the Storm Prediction Center has issued a 10% risk for tornadoes across New Hampshire for Sunday.
Campers should have a way to be aware of changing conditions and be prepared to evacuate to higher ground immediately if flooding occurs. Campers also should have a plan for alternative shelter if needed.
The state Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency offers the following safety recommendations:
- Have multiple ways to receive weather alerts. Monitor storm updates from the NationalWeather Service and local news stations. Sign up for NH Alerts and download the GenasysProtect mobile app to receive free emergency notifications.
- If flooding occurs get to higher ground immediately. Just 6 inches of moving water can knockyou down, and 1 foot of water can sweep your vehicle away.
- If driving in a vehicle, remember the saying, “turn around, don’t drown.”
- If floodwaters rise around your car but the water is not moving, abandon the car and move tohigher ground. Do not leave the car and enter moving water. Just 6 inches of water can reachthe bottom of most passenger cars causing loss of control and possible stalling.
- Prepare your home: Trim trees that may fall and cause damage.
- Tie down or bring indoors any objects that might be blown around by winds (outdoorfurniture, decorations, garbage cans, and other loose objects that are normally left outside).
- Follow instructions from local emergency officials and know how to safely evacuate shouldyou be told to do so.
- Find the latest road conditions at newengland511.org.Learn more about staying informed, having a plan and making a kit as well as the actions to take for different severe weather events online at ReadyNH.gov.Stay informed by following New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, (@NH_HSEM) and Instagram (@NH_HSE.
Unitil readies for potential outages
Unitil Corporation announced Sunday they are prepared to respond to outages in all service regions as potentially severe thunderstorms pass through this afternoon and tonight.
According to the most recent forecast, wind gusts of 40-65 miles per hour or more are possible within the most powerful storm cells today, with isolated chances of tornado activity possible as well. High winds have the potential to take down otherwise healthy tree limbs and branches into poles and wires, causing outages.
Unitil secured additional crews in advance of the storm and will have teams ready to respond in all regions during the expected peak activity.
“Thunderstorm activity in the late spring and early summer is fast moving and has the potential to deliver extremely hazardous conditions with little to no advance warning,” Unitil External Affairs Director Alec O’Meara said. “We recognize conditions are ripe for such activity today, and we are prepared to react should any area see the worst of what is forecasted.”
Unitil will be communicating throughout the event through Public Service Announcements (PSAs), their website, customer call center and through the media. They also encourage customers to follow along with their storm updates via Facebook, Twitter feed (@Unitil) and will provide real-time outage information online at unitil.com/map.
New Hampshire
N.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe
One proposal (Senate Bill 627) would generate more than $53 million per year in estimated revenue for turnpike projects by essentially doubling what certain cars pay on the state’s toll roads.
The cash fare for Hampton’s main toll booth on Interstate 95, for example, would jump from $2 to $4 for cars and pickup trucks. The toll wouldn’t increase at all for motorists who use New Hampshire’s E-ZPass transponders.
“Surrounding states already have the same in-state discount structure in place,” Democratic Representative Martin Jack of Nashua wrote on behalf of a House committee that unanimously recommended the bill.
A potential hitch: Governor Kelly Ayotte. She’s expressed opposition to the whole toll-hiking idea, and proven she’s not afraid to use her veto pen.
Modifying civil rights standard
Another proposal (Senate Bill 464) would add a few words to the state’s Civil Rights Act. Instead of addressing conduct that is merely “motivated by” a legally protected characteristic, the proposed revision would address conduct that is “substantially motivated by hostility towards the victim’s” protected characteristic (such as their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability).
The prime sponsor, Republican Senator Daryl Abbas, an attorney, testified the change was small and aligned with the law’s intent. But the attorney who oversees the Civil Rights Unit at the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Sean Locke, testified in opposition, saying the proposal could reduce protections, especially since the meaning of “substantially” is somewhat vague.
The House is also weighing a proposed amendment that would add a few more words than Abbas’s version, potentially narrowing the Civil Rights Act’s applicability a bit further.
Open enrollment for K-12 schools
A third proposal up for a vote on Thursday (Senate Bill 101) would make every K-12 public school in New Hampshire an “open enrollment” school. That way, students could freely choose to transfer to a district other than the one where they live.
The proposed policy is controversial, partly because of how schools are funded. Districts rely mostly on local property taxes to cover their costs, as the state government chips in relatively little, and property tax rates vary widely from one community to the next. That generates concern about who will foot the bill when a student transfers.
In light of those concerns, Republicans are offering a compromise amendment to SB 101 that would require the state to provide more money per pupil that a district receives via open enrollment, as the New Hampshire Bulletin reported. Democrats are offering their own amendment to establish a study commission on this topic, rather than adopt the proposed policy now.
Lawmakers have until May 14 to take action on the bills that came from the other chamber, though they have until June 4 to iron out any discrepancies.
Amanda Gokee of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
This story appears in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free email newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. Sign up here.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
New Hampshire
Boston MedFlight expands into NH
Boston MedFlight often touches down at the scene of some of the worst tragedies in New England – where minutes can mean life or death for a victim. The critical care transport operation is now expanding with a new base in New Hampshire.
The organization is hosting an open house at the new Manchester location on Thursday.
Boston MedFlight flies a critical care transport paramedic and nurse on every flight. Jaik Hanley-McCarthy says their helicopters and ground vehicles are equipped to handle just about any emergency medical procedure.
“Anything that can be done in the ICU,” explained Hanley-McCarthy. “We have a mobile lab so we can draw blood and run labs in real time.”
Boston MedFlight now has five bases across the region.
“Having a base in Manchester just expands this Boston-level care even further north to the more remote areas of the state,” said Hanley-McCarthy.
Boston MedFlight operates as a network of bases and some of the locations are staffed 24 hours.
Chief Executive Officer Maura Hughes says the nonprofit operation survives on public and private donations.
“We provide about $7 million in free care every year to patients,” said Hughes. “Not every hospital can be everything to every patient. We’re really the glue that keeps the health care system together.”
Heather Young says her daughter, Teighan, is still alive because she was flown for a critical assessment and procedure after falling off a truck and hitting her head.
“She should not be driving and walking and talking and all the things she’s doing as quickly as she is,” said Young.
Teighan just turned 18 and plans to go to college to study the medical field.
“I want to be a nurse and help other people,” she said.
It’s stories like this that keep the men and women who work Boston MedFlight focused on their mission.
“I think we just go call by call and try to do the best we can,” said Hanley-McCarthy. “I think when we stop and truly think about it, I think that weight is pretty heavy.”
Boston MedFlight also has a yearly reunion where patients and the team get together here in Bedford to meet and check in on their progress. It really shows you how connected they are to the people they help.
New Hampshire
Hiker who set out in warm spring weather found dead after snowstorm in New Hampshire mountains
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A Massachusetts hiker who set out in warm spring weather was found dead deep in New Hampshire’s White Mountains after a snowstorm dumped several inches of snow in the area, authorities said.
Kent Wood, 61, of West Roxbury, was discovered Tuesday evening on a remote section of the Kinsman Pond Trail in Franconia Notch, about 5.5 miles from his vehicle, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.
Wood had driven to Franconia Notch on April 17 for a weekend camping and hiking trip, and set out on a hike the next morning in warm, clear weather, officials said. Family and friends last heard from him Saturday afternoon.
When he failed to return or make contact for two days, officials said relatives reported him missing Tuesday morning, prompting a large-scale search.
HIKER IDENTIFIED, POPULAR TRAIL CLOSED AFTER DEADLY FALL A UTAH’S ZION NATIONAL PARK
An aerial view of Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire, where a hiker was found dead on Tuesday. (Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group, File)
Rescuers quickly learned Wood had packed for mild conditions, not the three to five inches of snow that fell in the area between Sunday and Monday.
Fog hovers over a narrow road through Franconia Notch in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire on Dec. 27, 2021. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis)
Search teams from Fish and Game, PEMI Valley Search and Rescue, and the Army National Guard launched a coordinated effort, focusing on the Lonesome Lake and Kinsman Pond areas.
FAMILY’S SPRING BREAK HIKE TURNS INTO LIFE-OR-DEATH RESCUE AFTER PARENT FALLS 70 FEET OFF UTAH CLIFF
Conservation officers located Wood’s body around 7:41 p.m. Tuesday. Crews carried him out overnight, reaching the trailhead shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Franconia Notch and the Appalachian Trail are seen in New Hampshire on Sept. 21. (Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)
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Since Friday, six hikers from Massachusetts have been rescued in the White Mountains, Fish and Game said.
Officials are reminding hikers that winter conditions still grip the mountains, with snow, freezing temperatures and rapidly changing weather.
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