Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Greenfield Was Ground Zero

And here I didn't think it was that bad.

"Perils lurk in Irene’s wake; Flooded rivers, downed wires still plague parts of region" August 30, 2011|By Peter Schworm and Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff

The storm-swept region confronted the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene yesterday, laboring to restore washed-out roads and farms in Western Massachusetts and repair downed power lines across the state that left nearly half a million residents without electricity a second day.   

We never lost power where I am.

A 52-year-old Southbridge man was electrocuted when he touched a railing on his porch that had come into contact with a downed wire.

His death was the state’s first casualty linked to Irene, which is responsible for 40 deaths in 11 states, according to the Associated Press. At least three people have died in Vermont, which is battling its worst flooding in perhaps a century, and two died in Connecticut.

The storm, which churned through Massachusetts Sunday afternoon, caused flooding along the Connecticut River, particularly around the western towns of Greenfield and Northampton, where 30 homes in a low-lying neighborhood were evacuated yesterday.

In rural towns along the Vermont border, many roads remained impassable, and officials warned that swollen rivers in the Springfield, Mass., area would remain a threat today.

“That’s ground zero for the flooding,’’ said Scott MacLeod of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency....

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Vermont got it worse:

"In Vt., raging waters isolate communities" August 30, 2011|By Bryan Marquard and Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff

MONTPELIER - Flooding that officials compared to Vermont’s worst natural disaster isolated entire cities and towns, closed main roads across the state, and killed at least three people.

Heavy rains from what had been Hurricane Irene caused rivers to overflow, taking down utility poles, flooding basements, and cutting off power to tens of thousands of homes. The violent waters washed away picturesque covered bridges and crested above marks set by the 1927 floods that are the measuring stick for all Vermont disasters.

“It was worse than we could have imagined, frankly,’’ said Tom Donahue, president of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce, which serves an area of the state left almost entirely isolated. “It’s once-in-a-lifetime damage - hopefully. I really feel everyone was prepared, but I don’t think you could have been fully prepared for something of this magnitude.’’

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"Outages may stretch to weekend" August 30, 2011|By D.C. Denison, Globe Staff

Utility companies warned yesterday that it could take up to a week before power is restored to more than 500,000 residents in Massachusetts who remained without electricity in one of the largest outages in state history....

Even as the state’s biggest utilities, NStar and National Grid, dispatched crews to fix power lines, officials asked consumers to be patient. Not only was there extensive damage, they said, but there were also fewer repair crews dispatched from nearby states because they were dealing with the effects of Irene in their own areas....

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Related:

Irene’s lashing thins Hub’s canopy

Thousands of travelers stranded as flights and trains canceled

After Irene, expect premiums to rise

Death toll across states rises to 40  

Connecticut 2 dead, dozens of homes lost, but ‘it could have been worse’

Maine Utility in Maine says power may take days to restore

New Hampshire Lynch says repairs to done by weekend   

RHODE ISLAND Rhode Island governor won’t seek federal disaster status

Globe Editorial Irene’s damage was extensive, but preparations paid off

Also see:

Good Night, Irene

Ignoring Irene

Irene's Impact

So much swept away
In Vermont towns, stranded by washed-out roads and bridges, the situation was so desperate that the National Guard yesterday delivered food and water by helicopter.
Sorry, readers. I didn't buy a paper today, and thus won't be reading one.