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A powerful nor’easter that Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker says will be more severe than one that caused coastal flooding in January is expected to hit New England on Friday, March 2. The headquarters building of the Unitarian Universalist Association, on Farnsworth Street in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood, will be closed on Friday “out of an abundance of caution in case the Seaport floods,” according to the UUA Human Resources director Rob Molla.
UUA services will continue despite the storm, with many staff working from home. (Approximately half of the UUA’s staff already works from locations other than Boston.)
This weekend’s storm may pose more of a commuting problem than a flooding danger to the UUA’s Boston headquarters. Since January, operations staff have prepared flood barriers for the basement and for the electrical panels that are housed there. Mark Steinwinter, director of Information Technology Services, said that he expected the UUA’s computer services—including its email, phone, and database systems—to remain functional unless power is interrupted for the entire neighborhood. Backup systems are ready if a power outage lasts more than a short time. If systems are disrupted, a banner will appear on the UUA’s website with the latest information.
Update 3/6/18: Although several inches of water filled the street in front of the UUA headquarters, barriers kept its basement garage from flooding.