Storm update: Close to 5,000 lose power in Andover

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December 12, 2008

Staff REPORTS

An overnight ice storm left Andover reeling with fallen tree limbs, flooded basements and downed utility lines on Friday, Dec. 12.

Close to 5,000 Andover residents were without power Friday morning, with some not expected to have service return until Monday.

All day Friday, Andover police and fire personnel responded to a barrage of calls for help.

"It's been extremely busy with calls about power lines, downed trees and neighborhoods — particularly in West Andover — without power. We've had several schools without power all day," said Andover Fire Chief Michael Mansfield Friday afternoon. "We also have some basement flooding issues, and due to the fact that there is no power, sump pumps can't deal with it ... Calls started coming in around midnight, and we've been going incident to incident, running ragged."

Andover public schools and Merrimack College canceled classes on Friday as well. Power was restored to Andover High School around 3 p.m., Mansfield said.

"This storm certainly, we're going to feel the impact of this for three to five days before we're fully restored with power," Mansfield said.

Of the 300,000 National Grid customers across the state who lost power because of the ice storm on Thursday night, 4,600 of those customers live in Andover, according to spokeswoman Deborah Drew.

The Elm Street corridor with several connecting neighborhoods lost power around midnight on Thursday, and the power was restored about 12 hours later, around 12:30 p.m., on Friday. Other parts of town had to wait much longer.

"We are asking our customers to be patient," Drew said. "It was an unusual storm and icing that came through."

Anyone who needs a place to go can walk into the Senior Center, said Town Manager Buzz Stapczynski. The Senior Center is on Whittier Court, behind the town office building at 36 Bartlet St.

"The Senior Center is open and they are serving food," he said. "The Senior Center is open, the library is open, so that's two municipal sites that have power that are warm."

Stapczynski encouraged people to stay with relatives if they can and to be patient, because it will take time for National Grid to restore power.

Also, the Merrimack Valley Chapter American Red Cross opened a shelter at North Andover High School around 10:45 a.m. The high school has power, said Deb Duxbury, director of emergency services for the Merrimack Valley Red Cross. NAHS is at 430 Osgood St.

For those without power or heat, Mansfield stressed the importance of finding shelter with family members, a loved one or friend.

Just as important, he said, is to stay away from any downed utility line.

"We are telling folks to stay away from any downed line at all, whether you know if it's a power or cable line. Any power line were treating as if it's a live electrical line. Stay well clear of them," he said, and call 911.

At 9:18 a.m., Doppler radar indicated the rain exited the region and it will remain dry for the rest of the day, according to the National Weather Service.

However, the heavy rain of the last day will continue to cause small stream and river flooding, they warned.

Temperatures are expected to drop to around 16 degrees tonight, with dry west wind gusts up to 32 miles per hour. The expected high for tomorrow is 27 degrees, with west wind gusts up to 22 miles per hour.

Local Shelters:

North Andover High School, 430 Osgood St., North Andover

Andover Senior Center, Whittier Court, behind the town office building at 36 Bartlet St.

When will my power come back on?

To check the status of your power, visit National Grid's "Storm Central" at www.nationalgridUS.com

Under the "electricity" heading, click on Massachusetts.