Wayland Town Crier 11/23/11: Emergency shelter allows safe place for Wayland residents. Wayland has a long tradition of “neighbor helping neighbor” and that was, again, apparent with the recent snowstorm. There were many who stayed with friends or family, people invited those without power over for dinner, etc. For those who needed a place to warm up or sleep until their power was restored, Wayland’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) opened the town’s emergency shelter at the Middle School. On Sunday morning, Police Chief Robert Irving, acting as the town’s emergency management director, asked CERT to open the Middle School as a “comfort station” for those who needed a place to stay warm or use the facilities. By late afternoon it was decided we needed more and the shelter was opened 24/7 for Wayland residents as well as others in the region. For three days the shelter was open to all who needed it. Dozens of people (and their pets!) came by to just get warm, take showers, charge their phones, get Internet access or stay the night.