TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS AND

LOCAL OFFICIALS AND OTHERS AS

MASSACHUSETTS AND THE CITY OF

BOSTON AND GREATER BOSTON

CONTINUE TO DEAL WITH THIS

UNPRECEDENTED COLLECTION OF

SNOWSTORMS.

WE ARE NOW UP TO BASICALLY SIX

AND SEVEN FEET ACROSS EASTERN

MASSACHUSETTS OVER THE PAST 14

DAYS.

WITH THIS IN MIND WE HAVE A

COUPLE OF THINGS WE WANT TO

SAY.

FIRST OF ALL, I JUST SIGNED AN

EMERGENCY DECLARATION

DECLARING AN EMERGENCY HERE IN

MASSACHUSETTS.

THIS IS NOT SO MUCH FOR SOME

OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES

THAT HAVE HISTORICALLY DOM --

DOMINATED THESE KINDS OF

DECLARATIONS, BUT TO MAKE IT

POSSIBLE FOR US TO BE INVOLVED

IN MANY OF THE COMMUNITIES

THAT WERE INCREDIBLY HARD HIT

ON THE SOUTH SHORE, AND OUR

ABILITY TO ACCESS EQUIPMENT,

FRONT END LOADERS, DUMP

TRUCKS, BACKHOES, BOBCATS,

SNOW MELTERS AND OTHER TYPES

OF EQUIPMENT LIKE THAT FROM

SURROUNDING STATES AND THROUGH

EMERGENCY PROCUREMENT

PROCESSES SO WE CAN HELP AS

FAST AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.

MANY OF THESE COMMUNITIES DEAL

WITH THE IMPLICATION OF TWO

FEET OF SNOW THEY GOT TODAY.

AND BY THE WAY, THIS IS WITH

AN EYE TOWARD THE FACT WE