Storm aftermath in Massachusetts: Tens of thousands still without power, crews work ‘nonstop’ before the holiday weekend
The fallout from this week’s powerful storm continued on Tuesday, as tens of thousands of households remained in the dark with power company crews working 24/7 to turn on all the lights before the holiday weekend.
The majority of the Bay State customers without power live in South Shore and MetroWest communities.
After the outages on Monday peaked at around 300,000 Massachusetts households, the number of customers in the dark had dropped to about 60,000 as of Tuesday evening — while power line and tree crews work around the clock to restore power following the storm’s violent winds and heavy rain.
Eversource expects to complete restoration for most customers by 11 p.m. on Wednesday, with many customers being restored before then.
“Despite widespread damage in the hardest hit areas in MetroWest and south of Boston we have made great restoration progress today and have strategically assigned crews to get the power back on for our remaining customers as quickly as safely possible,” said Eversource President of Regional Electric Operations Craig Hallstrom.
“We expect the outage numbers to continue coming down throughout the day as we cleanup and repair storm damage,” Hallstrom added. “Our men and women in the field and our team behind the scenes will be working nonstop until the lights are back on for everyone.”
The strongest winds during the storm were across eastern Massachusetts, with many spots facing 60-plus mph wind gusts. Blue Hill Observatory in Milton had the highest recorded wind gust of 90 mph.
National Grid has been sending extra crews to the hardest hit areas.
“Our crews have been working tirelessly to restore service as quickly and as safely as we can, and we’ve made a lot of progress – but there is a long way to go,” said Tim Moore, VP for Electric Operations for New England.
“This storm caused a lot of damage largely across Eastern Massachusetts, and we have crews focused on the hardest hit locations,” Moore added. “We recognize that this is a challenging time of year to lose power as everyone is preparing for the holidays, but we’ll continue to work until every last customer is restored.”
Most of southern New England saw 2-plus inches of rainfall from the storm, which led to widespread flooding. Some MetroWest communities recorded more than 4 inches of rain.
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Up north in Maine, the storm sparked devastating impacts. Roads were washed out, and bridges suffered major damage.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills has declared a State of Civil Emergency for 14 counties.
“My Administration will continue to work around the clock, in partnership with local public safety officials, county emergency management, and CMP and Versant to clear debris, assess and repair damage caused by flood waters, and restore power to Maine people as soon as possible,” the governor posted on Tuesday.
“Flooding continues to be a serious risk in many areas of the state,” Mills added. “I cannot stress this enough – if you live in an area that is hard hit, please stay off the roads as much as possible and stay away from flooded areas, including flooded roadways.”
Jackson Falls was raging in New Hampshire during the storm on Monday.
WOW! This is what Jackson Falls looked like Monday afternoon, as torrential rain caused rapid snowmelt and flash flooding in the beloved White Mountains town located about two miles north of Story Land. pic.twitter.com/G0eOj5k9ZY
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) December 19, 2023
Flood waters, standing water and flood water residue continue to pose risks in the Granite State, including injuries, infectious diseases and chemical hazards, officials warned Tuesday.
“Storm related threats, such as downed power lines and debris in the water can be dangerous,” said Robert Buxton, the director of the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “Wear protective clothing and be cautious when cleaning up to avoid injury.”
A linesman makes repairs to electrical lines. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
A car floats in a flooded parking lot at the Hathaway Creative Center alongside the Kennebec River in Waterville, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)