MassDOT's Robert Ward calls the moment a memory he will share forever- a handshake for a job well done by the President.
President Obama visited the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency facility in Framingham Thursday, April 2, joined by Governor Patrick, to offer his thanks to Ward and others responding to the historic floods of the past month.
Hundreds of public servants from MassDOT, Emergency Management, state and local police and fire, and throughout state and local government worked day and night through multiple flooding events, with the safety of the public as the top priority.
Ward is a MassDOT liaison to Massachusetts Emergency Management, coordinating transportation resources for state and local emergency support groups prior to or during a disaster situation. MassDOT's flood response has included coordination of sandbag operations at the MassDOT Lexington depot and support for local cities and towns with sandbag distribution, water discharge pumps, barricades, traffic message signs, and engineers to assist in damage assessment. This is in addition to the immediate response in filling potholes and repairing roadway washouts caused by the excessive rain and flooding.
In a message to all MassDOT employees, Secretary and CEO Jeff Mullan thanked everyone who "once again answered the call of those in need" and noted that he had received many positive comments about MassDOT's response to the flooding.
Ward says that when he and others at the Framingham Emergency Management facility received direct congratulations for the good work from the President, "it was a fitting end to an extraordinary week. President Obama made it clear he was proud of the work we do during difficult times and acknowledged everyone taking action and supporting those in need."
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