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Hampden County hurricane guide

Hampden County has no county emergency management office. Each city and town has its own Emergency Management Director, and MEMA supports them through regional offices. MEMA says flooding is the most common hazard in Massachusetts and that flash floods can occur within minutes or hours after a storm, so heavy rain from the remains of a tropical storm can flood low ground and roads here. For shelters and local alerts, contact your city or town.

Checked on October 9, 2026

Every phone number and web address on this page was checked against official sources on that date. Details can change, especially during a storm. Always follow instructions from Local emergency management directors, with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). In a life threatening emergency, call 911.

What to know in Hampden County

  • MEMA says: Turn Around, Don't Drown. Do not walk through flowing water, because six inches of swiftly moving water can knock you off your feet, and cars can be swept away in only two feet of moving water.
  • MEMA says to contact your local Emergency Management Director to find out whether your home or workplace is downstream from a dam and to learn your community's risk of flooding.

Emergency and information numbers

Service Number Notes
Emergency 911 Police, fire, and ambulance. Call only when someone's life or property is in danger.
Mass 2-1-1 information line 211 The Commonwealth's main telephone information line. Mass 2-1-1 says to call it for the location of open shelters, travel restrictions during a declared emergency, and help after a disaster.
MEMA Regions 3 and 4 office 413-750-1400 State emergency management agency regional office. For shelter and local information, call your town's Emergency Management Director. Not for emergencies.

Official alerts and information

  • Local alert systems: MEMA says to ask your local Emergency Management Director whether your community uses its own alert system, such as Reverse 911 or Code Red, and how to sign up. Flash flood and hurricane warnings also reach phones as Wireless Emergency Alerts without signing up. Website.
  • Flood Safety Tips (MEMA): What to do before, during, and after a flood watch, flood warning, or flash flood warning. Website.

Evacuation centers

Open only when announced

Evacuation centers open only when officials announce them, and not every center opens for every storm. Check the official list of open centers before you leave home. Bring your own bedding, food, water, and medicines.

Shelters open only when officials announce them, and your city or town decides. Call 2-1-1 for shelter and warming center locations, or contact your local Emergency Management Director, and do not go to a site until it is announced as open.

Cities and towns

Each city has its own services and some have their own alerts. The county's evacuation zones, evacuation centers, and emergency alerts cover everyone, in every city and in unincorporated areas.

Sources

Checked on October 9, 2026. If a number or address here is wrong, please tell us at Keith@KMyers.me.