Gov. Patrick Urges Patience, Caution in Storm Aftermath
The governor held a press conference Monday and said it could be days before some residents have electricity.
Gov. Deval Patrick met with cabinet members and utility company representatives to discuss power restoration efforts at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency headquarters Monday morning.
"We were hit with, in some cases, up to 30 inches of heavy wet snow," Patrick said. "It's a particular challenge because not only did it come too soon, but there are leaves on the trees causing many limbs to come down."
Tewksbury only saw a few inches of snow, but the aftermath has been dismal for the thousands in town without power. National Grid has estimated that many residents in Tewksbury may be without power until Thursday night.
Patrick called for patience while power is restored -- a very gradual process he said could take several days.
"Some 500,000 customers are without power at this point, down from about 700,000 at the peak yesterday -- a 23 percent reduction overnight, which is good," Patrick said. "It’s going be a house-by-house, block-by-block kind of response."
Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard Sullivan concurred and pointed out that even though there are still more than 519,000 homes without power, additional crews have been added to tackle the power outages as quickly as possible.
"We expect that number will be cut in half by the end of the day today," Sullivan said. "There are 1,500 crews working on the ground in Massachusetts today."
And that that number is expected to grow as more crews come in from as far away as Michigan and Canada, Sullivan added. But he also reiterated that for some, it might be a while before power is restored.
"It is a slow process, as many of these connections are at the street level and home level, so we are still looking at a multiple day event, and it may be Friday before some people get power restored," Sullivan said.
Patrick also noted that the power outages have impacted the MBTA as well. On Monday, 23 trains were delayed.
Patrick addressed the notion of putting power lines underground, something that has been called for by many people and that is already being done in newer home developments, but pointed out the price tag as an obstacle.
"I love the idea," Patrick said. "But apparently it's a $1 trillion project to put lines underground across the commonwealth."
Use Caution
Patrick also urged residents to practice extreme caution, with so many power lines down across the state. A woman in Springfield has died from electrocution from a downed power line.
"First of all, treat every downed wire as a live wire," Patrick said.
Another person in Massachusetts has died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, and the governor urged residents to not heat homes with gas stoves.
While many have been comparing the storm to Hurricane Irene, Patrick said it is more comparable to the ice storm of 2008, because that storm saw so many downed power lines and power outages in the cold.
Patrick urged people to find shelters in their communities if they are without heat and said that as of now, about 1,300 people are in shelters across the state.
Marc
12:00 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
Do the electrical companies reimburse you for all the food lost and spoiled on these days that we had to throw out..what is the procedure with that..
Linda W.
12:16 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
Ummm....why would the power companies reimburse you for lost food? It's an act of nature that caused the power outage. While it's frustrating that we have no power, it's not National Grid's responsibility to monetarily replace the cost of food lost during a power outage. Your home ownership policy might be a way to recover something, depending on your deductible.
Shaun
12:32 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
Plus, if people expect to lose power, why stock up on perishables right before a storm? Dried foods and canned goods are more practical.
Rick Spencer
12:35 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
It's great that our dim-witted governor can sit in his heated, well-appointed office, having showered and dressed in his cozy, warm mansion this morning, and say that it's "good" that only half a million people in the commonwealth are still without power.
Hey Deval, why don't you come on up to Tewksbury and spend the night in my 40 degree house and see how "good" you think the utility companies are doing at restoring power then?
On your way you can stop in and visit some of our town's small business owners who have lost two days worth of revenue because they're without power. The only business in town that's benefitting from this is IHOP, because that place is packed with utility crews.
Bill, why don't we run a Patch contest? Find a working utility crew on a Tewksbury street and you'll win a prize. IHOP and the donut shops don't count.
Marc
12:44 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
first off shaun, I have a very large family and stock freezer itmes..had nothing to do with stocking up before a storm..Im not even one of those dimwits that run out to the supermarket like the world is coming to an end when a storm is near..we have a lot of meat etc stocked in the freezer at all times not because of the storm.
Marc
2:27 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
NO ONE IS SAYING ANYONE IS ALLOWED TO EAT WHO IS SAYING NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO EAT? SO YES YOU DO HAVE IT WRONG. I DIDN'T READ ANYTHING ALONG THOSE LINES AT ALL..ITS THERE FAULT ITS TAKING SO LONG..THIS WASN'T EVEN A MAJOR STORM..CAN YOU IMAGINE IF IT WERE..AS FAR AS THE COMMENT BEING MADE ABOUT THE WORLD COMING TO AN END WAS MADE BECAUSE SOME OF YOU PEOPLE DO THINK IT IS..NOT YOU IN PARTICULAR BUT GIVE ME A BREAK.. PEOPLE WERE FIGHTING IN HANAFORDS YESTERDAY FOR A CUP OF COFFEE..I ASKED ON SIMPLE QUESTION BECAUSE YEARS AGO MY FATHER WAS AN ELECTRICIAN WITH BOSTON EDISON AND YOU WERE ABLE TO PUT IN CLAIMS TO THEM..YOU PEOPLE FLY OFF THE HANDLE..IT WAS A SIMPLE YES OR NO ANSWER THAT THE UTILITY CO DO OR DO NOT ALLOW YOU TO SUBMIT A CLAIM..
Linda W.
3:05 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
Speaking of flying off the handle, TYPING IN ALL CAPS mean you're yelling online. Calm down. :-/
Marc, what happened years ago has no real bearing on today's world. General store owners used to extend credit to townspeople because they knew them all and knew they were good for it. It's rare that that happens, right? So why should what happened when your father was an electrician with BosEd be the norm now? There are millions more people on the electrical grid and a larger draw on electrical power. Despite how big Nat'l. Grid is, to expect them to reimburse for lost food every time power goes out is a bit far-fetched, don't you think?
Marc
3:17 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
Wow didn't realize typing in caps transcends that I'm yelling..I never knew that was in a grammatical rule book..I was not yelling.. and ummm no it is a simple question with a simple yes or no answer..now if I asked if you can claim anything with the ins. co i'm sure the answers would be simple..yes or no right? Yes you can submit a claim or no you cannot submit a claim. I was not asking to be sarcastic, nor was I asking to condemn the electric co..what is this about extending anything to towns people..I wasn't talking about your error of 1940. Never mind, I finally got onto National Grids Website and found the simple answer i was looking for on their frequently asked questions..
Question
How do I file a claim?
Answer
If you have sustained property damage for which you believe National Grid is responsible you may file a claim.
Marc
3:20 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
See simple explanation...that is the exact wording I was looking for...
Linda W.
3:58 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
Anyone who's been on the Internet for any length of time knows that typing in caps signifies yelling.
As to your question, see my first response in this thread: "Your home ownership policy might be a way to recover something, depending on your deductible." National Grid isn't going to see several hundred dollars worth of food as "significant property damage". That means your HOUSE as the property. Not food.
Linda W.
4:01 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
As for the rest of your comment - please look at *your* previous comment. Again what happened when your father was working for BosEd has nothing to do with what goes on in today's world. I was giving you a comparison, that's all. But I guess it sails right over some heads.
But feel free to submit a claim for lost food to National Grid.
Veena
4:09 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
I cannot agree more on what Rick says! So far easier to run caucuses, bomb third world nations and take lights off other people's homes than to keep up power in your own! Administration preparedness for worst emergencies and of apologies...My foot!!
Tom DeVeau
4:13 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
Marc, you can technically file a claim for anything...whether or not they cover it is entirely a different question. This is from National Grid's FAQ:
Does National Grid pay for damage to appliances, electronic equipment or other personal property damaged in a power loss or during power restoration?
We do not reimburse for damages to household equipment or personal property caused by storms or other acts of nature. Please contact your insurance company in such instances. Similarly, we do not reimburse for damage resulting from car accidents or other emergency conditions that require us to temporarily turn off power at the request of police or fire departments.
eldee
4:23 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
This is what those in charge in Washington DC want, Citizens unraveling and fighting amongst themselves...those with the power or light switch, are controling us!!!! We are self destructing and giving them more power to control us and become dependant on 'them', RELAX, I'm kidding of course!!! Just packed up the kids for the trip to family with power, but Ill be back to watch over my land and generator, lest those commies try and squat on MY land!!!! LOL!! Be safe Tewksbury, remember it could always be worse....
Rick Spencer
4:27 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
Marc -- I understand where you are coming from. While it might not be feasible to force the utility companies to reimburse us for all of our losses, I like the idea of holding them accountable for keeping the infrastructure working. National Grid enjoys the privileges and advantages of being a monopoly, but is not held accountable by our leaders.
This is my second extended power outage in just over two months. If a private company was providing my electricity, as opposed to a public utility, I would have changed companies by now. But National Grid owns the infrastructure and there are no other feasible ways to get your power without going through them.
We've had the same, antiquated, poles and wires system of delivering electric power for the better part of a century. Sure, it would be cost prohibitive to replace the entire infrastructure all at once, but is National Grid doing anything to stop the never-ending cycle of costly and annoying power outages?
No, they're not, because no one is holding them accountable. They just keep stuffing the profits into their pockets and shrugging off the complaints. Just another example of big business leaving the middle class dangling in the breeze while our government makes excuses for them.
Dave
4:32 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
The one thing i learned through out this ordeal is " That in any emergency whether it be a town, state or Federal is that basically you are on your own" they lull you in to believing that the above entities are all about emergency planning when in fact they will only take care of their own- Lesson learned
Dave
4:45 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
People should realize you can't plan for emergencies which is obvious in this case
Bruce Panilaitis
5:12 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
It is amazing that the Governor should be blamed for a Nor'easter. I can't imagine complaining that the crews working crazy hours to try to get us all back on the grid might stop for a meal or a cup of coffee. Patience is exactly what is needed.
Rick Spencer
6:22 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
Bruce, please don't attempt to put words in my mouth. No one has blamed the governor for the weather. Read my post. I complained that he appeared unaffected by our troubles, and sympathetic to the utilities. This is the mindset that leads to situations like we have now -- huge, unfair advantages to corporations that leave the middle class holding the bag.
Bruce Panilaitis
9:37 pm on Monday, October 31, 2011
Not sure how the governor complementing the workers on getting 200,000 customers back on the grid was turned around to "only 500,000" without power was a good thing. Who's putting words in who's mouth? I'm completely with you on the unfair advantages for corporations, but not sure how that applies to the current situation. I hope you get power and heat back soon.
Marc
9:40 am on Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Rick and Tom thank you very much for your simple non sarcastic responses..Apparently this black out is getting to some people..Linda I hope to god your not a public employee on our tax dollars or possibly a National Grid employee..a lot of people are going to ask questions you may or may not like or may or may not think has an answer to but be polite to people jeeezzee..