Governor Carcieri sent a letter in October to 21 cities and towns asking for details on their plans for coping with a major hurricane.
Al Arajuo, Pawtucket's city emergency management director, responded to Carcieri's request.
A strong hurricane could affect the lower areas of Pawtucket, such as the east and west side of the Blackstone River and along the Moshassuck River, and force 15,000 to 20,000 people to be evacuated.
According to Arajuo's response, emergency officials would use the city's reverse 911 system to notify residents, as well as public service announcements on television and radio.
The town has five shelters, although the Red Cross has not certified them for use during hurricanes. They are: Baldwin Elementary School, 50 Whitman St.; Varieur Elementary School, 486 Pleasant St.; Curvin-McCabe Elementary School, 466 Cottage St.; Jenks Junior High School, 350 Division St.; and Leon Mathieu Senior Center, 420 Main St.
Last week, Araujo told The Journal that city officials recently met with the state Department of Transportation to clarify the state's evacuation plans. The city wants to know evacuation plans by bordering towns, so the routes don't overlap, before drawing up its own routes.
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