Have your heard? There’s a hurricane headed our way. How powerful Irene will be when she gets here remains to be seen, but Southborough emergency officials say to expect heavy rain and damaging wind.
Here is some storm-related info for easy reference:
- Southborough emergency shelter: At Woodward School, open to all residents
- Phone numbers for reporting storm damage: Flooded basements, downed trees, power outages, and more
- Preparedness tips: Hopefully you’ve taken care of these already, but just in case
I’ll be updating this post throughout the storm with the latest Southborough information, so be sure to check back. You can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
Refresh your browser to see the latest updates. Feel free to add comments with how things are in your neck of the woods.
Update 8/30 2:10 pm: According to the National Grid website, 326 customers in Southborough are still without power. Earlier today that number was 174. Whether that means some who had power lost it again, or the numbers aren’t accurate, I have no idea.
Stores in the Town Center Plaza – Dunkin Donuts, Eaton Apothecary, Middlesex Savings Bank, among others – were without power this morning, but they are back up now.
Update 8/30 10:05 am: The Southborough Library and Southborough Senior Center are both open today, as is the Town House.
Update 8/30 9:50 am: Power has been restored to all Southborough schools, and Superintendent Charles Gobron says they’re ready to open as planned on Wednesday.
Update 8/30 9:10 am: Southborough businesses are starting to reopen this morning after the power outage. The downtown area has power, so Mauro’s Cafe and Mauro’s Market are both open. I assume the Southborough House of Pizza will be as well later today. Starbucks on Route 9 opened their doors shortly before 9:00 am this morning. I heard that Red Barn Coffee on Route 9 is also open, but may have a limited menu.
I haven’t been able to get in touch with any of the businesses in Town Center Plaza – Dunkin Donuts, Eaton Apothecary, etc. – so I don’t know if they have power. Anyone know?
According to the National Grid website, there are still 174 of its 4,008 Southborough customers without power.
Update 8/30 8:45 am: Good morning, Southborough. Power has been restored to many in town, but not to all, and that means some Southborough residents are going on 48 hours without electricity. I’m not sure the extent of the outage at this point, but I’ve heard reports that Clifford and Woodland Roads are still without power.
I haven’t heard yet whether school will start tomorrow as scheduled, but will let you know when I do.
Update 8/29 9:45 pm: Power has been restored to the Town House, so town offices will be open tomorrow. Not sure yet about the Library or Senior Center.
Update 8/29 9:15 pm: I just posted the latest update from Southborough emergency management officials. You can read the whole thing here.
In summary, Southborough wants answers from National Grid on when power will be restored, but there is no timeline yet. The mandatory outside water ban has been shortened and will now run through 5:00 pm on Tuesday. Officials assure the water supply is safe and there has been no impact on water quality.
Update 8/29 8:00 pm: Reports of power being restored to more areas of town, including parts of Main Street, Marlboro, and Framingham Roads, also the East Main/Overlook area.
Update 8/29 6:45 pm: Power has been restored to small pockets of Southborough, but most of the town still seems to be without. I got a phone call from National Grid a few moments ago saying they’re focused on clearing downed wires and restoring power as fast as they can, but they acknowledged that with the extent of the damage, their restoration work may last “well into the weekend in some of the hardest hit areas.”
National Grid also reminds everyone to treat all downed wires as live and dangerous.
Update 8/29 4:45 pm: Several residents in the Flagg Road area report their power has been restored. Let’s hope this is a sign of things to come!
Update 8/29 3:30pm: I just heard from Superintendent Charles Gobron. Algonquin has power and will start on Wednesday as planned. A decision about Southborough K-8 schools has not yet been made. It all depends on when power is restored, but Gobron said he was “hopeful” for an on-time start.
Northborough K-8 schools don’t have power either, so they’re in the same boat.
Update 8/29 12:50 pm: I just posted a press release from Southborough town officials. You can read the whole thing here, but in summary:
Still no ETA from National Grid on when power will be restored. A mandatory outside water ban has been imposed until Wednesday August 31 at 5:00 pm due to a fire at one of the town’s pumping stations this morning. The DPW has opened access to the brush disposal area at the Transfer Station:
The DPW has opened access to the brush disposal area at the Transfer Station. Access to the disposal area is from the lower DPW area. The gate to the Transfer Station is not open. The transfer station will open on Wednesday if power is restored. Only brush may be disposed of in this area—please no stumps, logs or trash.
Update 8/29 12:45 pm: An important message for those of you with pump-driven septic systems just posted here.
Update 8/29 12:00 pm: As of noon today, the town’s emergency shelter has moved from Woodward School to Trottier Middle School, 53 Parkerville.
To report water or other problems, please call the Police Department at 508-485-2121. Please call 9-1-1 only in the event of an emergency.
Update 8/29 11:30 am: Per emergency officials, National Grid still has no ETA on when power will be restored, but they have crews in town working on it. Phone service may also be out in much of town.
There are still road closures around town, but some have reopened this morning, including Marlboro Road between School Street and Framingham Road, Breakneck Hill Road between Davis Road and Woodland Road, and Cordaville Road between the Rockpoint Road loop. Please continue to use caution while driving around town and do not cross road barricades.
No word yet on whether the extended power outage will impact the scheduled start of school on Wednesday.
Update 8/29 8:45 am: Power is still out in Southborough. My blogging capabilities are limited. I’ll mostly be updating via Twitter.
Please scroll down to the end of the comments to read important messages from Chief Mauro and Selectman Boland.
Update 8/28 7:55 pm: This is not good news. Town Administrator Jean Kitchen said in a comment below that National Grid expects it may take several days to restore power to Southborough.
Town offices will be closed on Monday.
Update 8/28 7:45 pm: According to the National Grid map, pretty much the entire town of Southborough is without power, and here is no ETA on when it will be restored. Please be careful with candles and remember not to run generators in enclosed spaces like you garage.
Southborough police, fire, and DPW have been working tirelessly all day clearing roads, pumping basements, responding to fire and carbon monoxide alarms, and conducting well-being checks. They all deserve our thanks.
If you had a chance to walk around your neighborhood this evening, you’ll be familiar with the state of things. Roadways are littered with debris – leaves, branches, and tree bits. Large trees and limbs have fallen at many homes and across roadways. Several roads are still closed due to downed trees and/or wires.
Update 8/28 6:00 pm: An update from Town Administrator Jean Kitchen.
We do not know when power will be restored. There are numerous trees on wires which have been reported to National Grid. The DPW dept. is working diligently to get roads cleared as soon as possible, but there are some large trees across roads that will require outside contractors to remove the trees-which may not be accomplished until tomorrow (Monday Aug. 29). There are approximately 16 roads with trees across which are closed.. Please remind residents to be as specific as possible (site address if possible) when reporting trees in the roadway or on wires.
Peak wind gusts at the Fire Department reported at 10:44 am at 41MPH. At 2:30pm 4.15 inches of rain had fallen.
The emergency shelter is open at Woodward school,
Please don’t hesitate to call the police department with additional information.
Update 8/28 2:10 pm: Fire Chief John Mauro Jr. asked me to remind residents to stay off the roads. There are trees and live wires down among other hazards.
Speaking of which, there is a report of a large tree blocking Main Street at Sears Road. Also reports of trees on power lines on Oregon Road and on Lovers Lane.
Update 8/28 1:30 pm: Power is still out to much of the town, and branches and trees continue to fall on power lines and roadways. Currently Cordaville Road (Route 85) is closed at Rockpoint Road and traffic is being diverted around Rockpoint. Route 85 is also closed north of School Street. Woodland Road is closed as well.
There have been reports of trees falling on several houses around town. The most serious appears to be a home on Richards Road that suffered significant damage to its roof. No injuries from that incident or any others have been reported.
As the winds die down, emergency responders expect to turn their attention to flooded basements and other water problems.
With my power out, I’m doing most of my updating on Twitter. You can follow me there (you don’t need a Twitter account).
Please continue to use the comments to share your stories!
Update 8/28 11:30 am: Turns out we’re not the only ones in Southborough without power. A large swath of town is in the dark, from just west of Parkerville Road to past Route 495, running north to Northborough Road and south past Route 9. You can see the National Grid outage map here: http://www1.nationalgridus.com/masselectric/stormcenter/
Update 8/28 11:00 am: The power is out here at My Southborough headquarters, so my ability to update from here on out will be limited. I’m going to turn off moderation on the comments, so if you have updates about what’s happening in you neighborhood, please share it.
I can tell you Southborough police and fire are handling calls fast and furious for trees down across wires – some with accompanying fires – and trees/limbs across roadways. Some roads, including portions of Woodland Road, have been blocked off. Also lots of calls to investigate building fire alarms. Residents are reporting flooded basements.
Recent reports of trees falling into homes on Southville and Parkerville Roads.
Update 8/28 9:45 am: Increasing reports of trees and limbs down – Atwood, Parmenter, Deerfoot, Cordaville, Framingham roads among others. National Grid reports limited power outages affecting less than five customers each on Flagg Road and Framingham Road. Also an outage affecting 16 customers on Woodland Road.
Update 8/28 9:30 am: St. Mark’s Church has cancelled services today due to Hurricane Irene. Pilgrim Church, along with St. Anne and St. Matthew Churches are holding services as normal this morning. I was unable to reach anyone at First Community Church, so I’m not sure about services there. If anyone knows, please share in the comments.
Update 8/28 9:15 am: Good morning hurricane watchers. It’s raining steadily in Southborough this morning and winds are gusting as Irene approaches our area. According to readings at the Fire Station, nearly 3 inches of rain has fallen since yesterday and winds have gusted as high as 31 mph.
National Grid shows a small outage in the Flagg Road area, but that’s it so far. I’ll continue to post updates as I get them, so stick with me throughout the day.
Update 8/27 11:15 pm: According to the latest news from MEMA (as relayed by Southborough Emergency Management Director of Operations Neal Aspesi), Irene will arrive sometime between 3:00 and 5:00 am on Sunday, with the height of the storm hitting mid-morning. Heavy rain and damaging wind could last for 12-18 hours.
Aspesi reports there is a high probability of flooding rains (4-6+ inches) in Southborough, including bands of 2-3 inches per hour. Winds could reach 30-50 mph sustained, with gusts up to 60-70 mph.
Update 8/27 6:30 pm: An emergency shelter for Southborough residents and their families is now open at Woodward School. If you’re thinking of going to the shelter, you’re advised to do so before the storm hits. Read this post to find out more and to learn what to bring with you.
Update 8/27 5:50 pm: The rain has tapered off in Southborough for the moment, but this afternoon alone we’ve had nearly 1.5 inches of rain delivered by the outer bands of Irene. Emergency officials fear heavy rain will saturate root systems and make trees more likely to topple in the strong winds that are coming.
Update 8/27 4:20 pm: Southborough residents are already reporting flooded basements. To report water problems at your home, call the Southborough Fire Department at 508-485-3235.
Update 8/27 3:45pm: The Southborough Board of Selectmen declared a local state of emergency this afternoon, which gives them access to emergency funds and allows them to make certain decisions in the interest of public safety. The town will set up an Emergency Operations Center starting at 4:00 pm today to monitor the storm and respond to any incidents.
Update 8/27 3:10 pm: National Grid is reporting several power outages in Southborough, but the number of customers impacted appears low. On outage is in the Moulton/Richards Road area. Another is on Route 9 east of Oak Hill Road. You can see the outage map here.
Updated 8/27 2:45 pm: An urban and small stream flood advisory has been issued by the NWS for Southborough and surrounding areas.
* At 219 PM EDT…Bands of heavy rain associated with Hurricane Irene were producing rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches an hour derived from Doppler radar. Although the bands are progressively moving through the area…Additional rains further south combined with saturated ground will result in flooding of urban and poor drainage areas…as well as small streams and creeks.
Updated 8/27 2:30 pm: Southborough is currently under a Tropical Storm Warning. Southborough Emergency Management Director of Operations Neal Aspesi had this to say after a 12:30 conference call with MEMA:
All though Irene is weakening slightly – there are still significant and dangerous hazards!! The public should not let their guard down. Irene is a very large storm with lots of moisture and a very wide wind field. When it arrives in Southborough Irene will be a strong Tropical Storm or Cat 1 Hurricane and will last 12-18 hours…this with other factors could result in damage comparable to a Cat 2 or 3 storm.
Anyone know if the transfer station is open regular hours today?
I haven’t heard otherwise, so I assume it is. Can anyone who has been there this afternoon confirm?
Thanks for all the local information, Susan. It’s very valuable at a time like this.
Stay safe everyone! Scrabble marathon anyone? :)
Power out at strawberry hill at 10:10. Hear trees crashing every few minutes. House is holding up well. 3G working for now.
Lost power on Richards Rd. about 12:15..Our trees are swing dancin’ in the wind.
Any flooding? How are everyone’s basements holding up?
There’s water in our basement, and with power out, no sump to pump it out. I suspect we’re far from the only ones with that problem.
Please remind residents that although the winds and rain have subsided, it is dangerous for people to be out. Several trees and electric wires are down all throughout town. Please stay off of the roadways in order to allow utility, public works, and public safety crews to clear the streets.
Thanks for all of the updates. We’re grateful for the information you’ve posted!
Anyone know when we are expected to get power back? I am on the north side of route 9. Can’t check Nat’l Grid b/c I don’t know our account number.
We are also North of 9 and when we called Nat’l Grid to report our outage the recording said there was no estimated time yet because they are still assessing damages.
Just a quick update from emergency operations:
We do not know when power will be restored. There are numerous trees on wires which have been reported to National Grid. The DPW dept. is working diligently to get roads cleared as soon as possible, but there are some large trees across roads that will require outside contractors to remove the trees-which may not be accomplished until tomorrow (Monday Aug. 29). There are approximately 16 roads with trees across which are closed.. Please remind residents to be as specific as possible (site address if possible) when reporting trees in the roadway or on wires.
Peak wind gusts at the Fire Department reported at 10:44 am at 41MPH. At 2:30pm 4.15 inches of rain had fallen.
The emergency shelter is open at Woodward school,
Please don’t hesitate to call the police department with additional information.
General tossup question: if a neighbors tree falls into your yard, who’s responsible for cleanup and expense?
My son won a propane lamp in a cub scout raffle and boy is it coming in handy. We grilled chicken nuggets and patties and the kids want them grilled from now on. Time to pull out my old ghost stories.
TOWN OF SOUTHBOROUGH PRESS RELEASE
AUGUST 28 7:30PM
Twenty eight members of the Southborough Emergency Management Team including the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the Medical Reserve Core (MRC) were deployed to the Emergency Management Operations Center at the Southborough Fire Station at 8am on August 28 to manage the effects of Hurricane Irene. Peak gusts of 41 MPH were reported at 10:44AM and rain of 4.15 inches was reported at 1:30PM. A shelter at Woodward School was opened at 6PM on Saturday August 27 and staffed by members of CERT and MRC. Numerous roads were temporarily closed due to downed wires and trees, and power outages were reported throughout town. The DPW department is working to clear the roadways while National Grid is working on removing trees and limbs that are hanging on their wires.
There are numerous trees down on Sears Road near Stowe Road. It is expected that tree contractors will be out on Monday to remove the trees. Other roads throughout Town may be impassable due to trees on power lines.
National Grid informs us at this time it may take several days to restore electricity to the Town. Town offices will be closed on Monday.
Several days? I’m guessing this will impact school starting? Yikes. I have to admit we are not prepared for days without electricity. Yikes. Again.
Susan, thank you for continuing to be a local news reporter for us! We’ve been relying on you for pulling together a local summary. Many SB residents are probably wondering how we can thank you when this us all over.. :)
@SouthboroDave – right on… Susan, you’ve been unbelievably valuable the last 24 hours. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
For those residents still going out tonight or Monday morning please be aware that there is a good chance the town may still not have power Monday morning. While National Grid is working to restore downed lines and remove trees from them, some roads may still be closed. Some traffic lights may still be out.
If you are traveling, please be careful and aware of the conditions. DO NOT TRY TO GO THROUGH ROAD CLOSED BARRIERS. It may look clear but you may not notice the trees hanging on wires overhead. There will still be debris on some roads in the morning and more may come down overnight as we still have some heavy wind gusts. Please allow extra time for your commute and be alert for work crews clearing the roads.
We hope to have power restored as soon as possible but as of 10:30 PM tonight, over 420,000 people in the National Grid service area are without power.
The following road closures will still be in effect due to downed trees and/or power lines:
1. Marlboro Road between School Street and Framingham Road
2. Breakneck Hill Road between Davis Road and Woodland Road
3. Cordaville Road between the Rock Point Road loop
4. Latisquama Road near Birchwood Drive
5. Pine Hill Road near # 78
6. Sears Road near Stowe Road
7. Summit Road near Fairview Drive.
Additionally, due to power outage, traffic lights are out throughout town. USE CAUTION AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS THAT ARE NOT OPERATIONAL. Crossovers on Route 9 at White Bagley/Breakneck Hill Roads and Crystal Pond Road are CLOSED.
Use caution and expect delays on the roadways.
Brrrr! Cold shower this morning, but thankfully no damage and water in the basement has subsided. Hope to hear some updates today about getting the juice back on!
This blog has been really helpful. My sister lives in Southborough with her baby and I haven’t been able to get hold of them since last night because her phone died. So I am getting really worried. Because of road closures it has been hard for friends to get to her. These updates have been really helpful. Hope to hear about the power getting back on soon. Thanks!
We have lived for 8 years in Southborough and have witenessed brutal snowstorms. We never lost power before. it would be nice to know when we can get the power back now and this would assist us in making alternate arrangements for the next few days.
National Grid is still showing “Still Assessing”, for Southborough, on its map…
Thanks Susan and team for the updates. Stranded in SFO yesterday with unknown conditions at home was a rough close to a fabulous weekend. Neighbors confirmed the area near Summit and Fairview is a mess but there are fewer flooded basements than expected. Keep up the updates. They will make the drive from Chicago back more bearable
Some of the hardest-hit areas of the region are in Southern Central Massachusetts and along Interstate 495.
Southborough has 95 percent of its 4,008 National Grid customers impacted by power outages, while Northborough has 91 percent of 6,477 customers without power. Douglas has 88 percent of its 3,773 without power and 69 percent of National Grid customers in Marlborough are without power. Less than 4 percent of the 76,000 customers in Worcester are without power.
National Grid spokespeople, via Twitter, have said the utility hopes to resolve a majority of the power outages by the end of the day.
http://www.wbjournal.com/news49737.html
Thank you Susan for all of the updates! Does anyone know where to buy ice near Southborough?
Erin, Stop and Shop on Temple St in Framingham had some this morning. May want to call before you go as it was selling like hotcakes.
I’ve also heard Stop & $Shop on Lyman St. in Westborough has a good supply.
You might give Price Chopper in Shrewsbury (rte 9) a call. On Saturday when all the other stores were running out of water, bread and batteries, they were super stocked.
Was just at super stop and shop in westboro (near BJ’s). And they had about 30-40 bags of ice and won’t be putting any more out until tomorrow. I have also heard that Colella’s in Hopkinton had ice ( but that was reported this morning….they may be out). Instead of pulling everything out of the fridge….just shoving the entire bag of ice in the fridge ( with a towel underneath) and hoping for the best!
Given the bad food sitting in my fridge + everyone else here in town, I think it would be a good idea for the DPW to open up the transfer station today + tomorrow. I have a bunch of stuff on ice + a fridge full of food that is starting to smell. It would be good to get rid of it now rather than having to wait.
Anyone have any good news on the power side? Has anyone who lost power gotten it back yet?
We just got our power back on Flagg Rd a few minutes ago. There’s hope!
Hickory Rd JUST got power!!!!
Thank you Susan for all the updates!! We really appreciate it.
yes……thank you SO much Susan. This has been my only reliable way to get info since the storm hit. MVP of hurricane Irene 2011 for sure! :)
Love this and I totally agree. You definitely get my vote for MVP! I spent what little battery life I had on my cell phone checking your blog and Facebook updates because they were- hands down- the best source of information. You provide a fantastic service to everyone in town. Thank you so, so much for what you do.
Ditto! This site and your Twitter feed kept me informed!
I found ice this afternoon at Roche Bros. in Westborough.
We got power on Main St. about 45 minutes ago.
Thanks so much for keeping us updated! It really means a lot!
Thanks so much for all of the updates! This really was the only place to get the best, most up-to-date information. Excellent job!!
Power is back on Ledge Hill Road. Thanks for keeping us updated. You were our main news source.
Marlboro Road just got electricity! Thanks, again, for all the updates! God bless you!
Oakhill rd with power!!
Power on Andrews Way!
Power stll out on south side. We’re near Finn School. No signs of power yet anywhere near here. Hopefully coming soon!
Hi still out here, I’m in the same neighborhood, While I’m happy for all these power on reports, I’m SOOO jealous and hopeful that today the lights will be back on for us too…hang in there!
Power is back on Latisquama!
Thank you to the linemen/women from all the crews of Nat’l Grid and the companies from out of state (and Canada too I think)!
(It was tough trying to play another game by candlelight with 2 boys for the second night in a row)
Pine Hill Rd. Is on! Thanks for this blog. It was a great resource!
Yea!!
Latisquama/Birchwood/Peggy is on. Only part of Ledge Hill is on at the moment, the ‘older’ part from 85 almost to Whistler. From Whistler to Sears is dark, and all of Sears is as well. Also Main St. from Parkerville west is dark…
While many of us yesterday remained in the comfort of our homes protecting our property and viewed the storm from our windows, what we could not see was the activity at the Fire Station. The Emergency Operation Center in town was fully staffed at 8:00 a.m. Town department heads, town employees and a number of amazing volunteers, worked in surgical precision under the direction of Fire Chief Mauro coordinating and responding to emergency calls and conditions. They worked long after the storm passed, and their work continues this hour. Take comfort in knowing that our Town’s EOC performed in ways normally reserved for large metropolitan areas. It is just one more example of how large the shoes will be to fill when Chief Mauro says good-bye.
As small sections of town regain power, those sitting in darkness suffer a momentary jolt of optimism. Then, with each passing hour, that optimism flickers, dims and goes out, as the power did in my house yesterday morning. Less than 300 yards from my darkness, my friend’s house stands out like a beacon, never having lost power at all. So close, yet so far. Me in Southborough, my friend in Ashland. I struggle to understand why one electric utility’s equipment suffers such disparate impact from another’s equipment when subjected to nearly identical forces.
Unlike many in town, I am lucky. I was able to purchase a generator in anticipation of the storm. My food has not spoiled, my sump worked during the storm, my computer and television work, and hot coffee in the morning tastes the same. While I cannot shower or flush my toilets (no idea how to direct wire my well to the generator), I certainly have it better than most of my neighbors.
In spite of all our advanced technology, we have not yet found a way to completely protect ourselves from Mother Nature. Electric utilities, with their vast networks of poles and wires, are particularly vulnerable to storms, and I applaud them when they mobilize vast resources to quickly rebuild electric systems that are destroyed by a storm such as Irene.
National Grid tells us that the damage to 20 transmission lines is worse than that caused by the ice storms of December 2008 and comparable with damage from Hurricane Bob in 1991 and Hurricane Gloria in 1985. With a sterile recording I’m told we could be without power well into the weekend. Yet, if memory serves me correctly, Irene’s destruction was anticipated at least a week before her arrival. I have yet to see a National Grid truck in my neighborhood, which cynically causes me to wonder whether we are dealing with an undermanned recovery effort that will inevitably frustrate and anger many. How aggressive was National Grid in lining up repair crews, ready to swing into action if outages occurred, to augment its own linemen? The automaton that dials my phone number and then “speaks” compels the conclusion that there is a need for significant improvements to the company’s communication infrastructure, as I am given no substantive information other than to call 911 in an emergency.
I understand that it is easy to complain about something especially when one’s knowledge about electric utility operations is so limited. However, in an age when even a brief power outage causes economic losses and inconvenience, these restoration efforts never seem fast enough. Let us all hope that the prediction that outages could last into the weekend is as accurate predicting the timing of the next storm.
Thanks John, for your great insight !!! now go back to watching TV
John
I got my power back about 6:00 last night. Being without power for a day is an adventure, 2 days a bother and a week a real bummer. I think that events like this should give us pause to understand just how thin the veneer of civilization is. Our standard of living is built on large quantities of reliable, relatively inexpensive energy whether at the pump, pipe or line. I think it is remarkable that we have this 99% of the time. Much of the world does not.
Not to stick up for the electric utilities but I think they have done a pretty good job so far (it is easy for me to say this since I got my power back before the contents of my freezer thawed). Yes the storm was anticipated but it was anticipated from the Florida to the Maritimes in short a vast area that contains over 100 million people. Each of the utilities in this vast area had to draw on resources from unaffected areas. I have seen utility trucks from as far away as Iron Mountain, Mi. on Pine Hill Road (well over 1000 miles away).
I think that we should also acknowledge our public workers in town. It is important for skeptics of expanded govt, like myself, to admit that there are times when we need govt and we are lucky to have dedicated people working for us in town.
I find myself disagreeing with Mr. Hamilton more often than I agree with him, but in this case I wholeheartedly agree – and I don’t share Mr. Rooney’s skepticism about the utilities’ performance during and after Irene.
Mr. Hamilton, kudos for a well-stated post about the situation the utilities were dealing with and how they handled it. For my part, I thought the electric utility companies have done (and are continuing to do) a very good job, and I’m also not one to normally compliment them. It makes sense that crews generally won’t be out during such a storm, so as to reserve resources for life-threatening situations, so as to not risk the safety of the crews, and so as to not repair things only to have them possibly re-damaged. They appeared to mobilize quickly once the storm subsided, and were likely not able to draw in as many extra resources from surrounding states since Irene was such a widespread storm that every bordering state had severe outages of their own to deal with.
I was without power for about 40 hours -the longest I have ever been without power in my life, which I feel is not too much to complain about in the big scheme of things – and yet I still feel they did a good job in dealing with the extent of damage with which they had to contend. I also echo the thanks to the town emergency services employees who worked long and well during and after the storm.
These types of events should cause us all to reflect on how dependent we are on energy, what is important in the big picture, and how fortunate we all are regarding things we too often take for granted.
This blog has been invaluable during this storm. Both of my kids are following you on Twitter as well. Hoping for power on south side of town soon.
Power is still out on parkerville south of rt9
Sherri – sounds like nothing has been restored south of Rt.9 (or really even south of Rt. 30). East of Oak Hill (by the Mobil station) seems to be OK. It’s just our little corner that is still waiting.
We just got our power back on Strawberry Hill around 4:15. I feel pretty lucky this time around. In 1985 I lived in Hopkinton when Hurricane Gloria struck and it was a very bad experience. It blew the shingles off one side of my roof, ruining the roof and causing damage in the attic and ceilings. The cellar flooded and 8 trees fell in the yard, including a huge Maple. It missed my car by inches. It was about a week before the electricity was restored. It was another few weeks before I had the whole mess cleaned up. I think we just experienced a 1 in 25 year storm, and I think it was worse than Gloria because of the significant rain (Gloria only had an inch or two…. I’m not sure how much we had but I’d guess 5 or 6 inches).
How come no-one has organized a community “bbq everything in your fridge before it goes bad” gathering?
middle road- south side- LIGHTS!