LIVE COVERAGE: At least 1 dead as Level 3 storm wreaks havoc on South Shore
A Hingham man was killed when a tree fell on a trailer in Hanover during Monday morning's storm, officials said.
The man was identified as Robert Horky, 89.
The accident occurred outside 99 Industrial Way, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said in a statement.
Horky suffered severe head injuries and was trapped inside the trailer. He was pulled out by Hanover police and firefighters, Cruz's statement said. Horky was taken to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, where he was pronounced dead.
Hingham elementary school evacuated after tree falls on it
A Hingham elementary school was evacuated after a tree fell on the school Monday, Boston 25 News reported.
The tree damaged the computer lab ceiling at the Plymouth River School, Principal Gregory Lamothe said in a letter sent to parents and students.
All students were taken to Hingham High School via school buses and no students or staff were near the computer lab when the tree fell, the TV station reported.
Tens of thousands without power
The Level 3 storm brought heavy rain and high winds, bringing down trees and cutting power for National Grid and Eversource customers on the South Shore.
Full power restoration could take up to 72 hours.
National Grid was reporting about 70,000 customers without power in Plymouth and Norfolk counties as of 4 p.m. The company estimated power would be full restored by mid-afternoon, while Eversource reported pockets of power failures in towns including Milton and Plymouth, where about 600 people in each town were without power.
Tree lands on roof, fire truck in Marshfield
A tree fell onto the roof a home on Oak Drive in Marshfield, and a second tree hit the fire engine responding to it Monday.
Marshfield police officer Greg Davis saw the tree fall on the home.
A husband and wife were inside the house at the time. The husband was asleep, while the wife, who was briefly trapped by the debris, was awake and moving around the house. Neither was injured.
Marshfield Town Administrator Michael Maresco said extra police officers and fire personnel were called to help close roads and direct traffic.
It was not immediately clear how many people in the town were without power by midday. Workers with the town’s Department of Public Works must wait for Eversource crews to cut power in areas with downed trees in order to safely remove them. Then power crews must wait for winds to be at a safe speed to restore power in affected areas.
What to expect from the weather for the rest of Monday
The forecast calls for peak wind gusts, along with heavy rain, to continue through early this afternoon, according to StormTeam 5. The wind will continue through the evening commute but the rain should have lessened.
Outage map Check out regularly updated power outage numbers
StormTeam 5 will also be monitoring the midday and afternoon high tide for the potential for minor to moderate coastal flooding for south-facing beaches.
Emergency numbers to know
To report a downed power line, medical, fire or other emergencies, dial 911.
Eversource: 800-592-2000
National Grid: 800-465-1212
Verizon: 800-VERIZON
Comcast: 800-XFINITY
What to do during and after the storm
You should remain indoors and try not to go out or drive. If you are driving and you see a flooded road, it’s best to “turn around, don’t drown,” emergency officials say. Avoid the water and keep off of beaches.
An evacuation may be necessary at a moment’s notice, so prepare to take the essentials with you.
After the storm, assume that any downed power line is live. Report wires, gas leaks or other emergencies by calling 911. If your power is out, make sure your electric utility knows. Continue to monitor official updates.
What Jim Cantore is saying about the storm in Massachusetts
The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore, possible the most famous meteorologist in the United States, is keeping eye on the storm that is hitting Massachusetts.
This morning he retweeted a post by the Duxbury Fire Department as they warned residents to keep away from live wires.
“#DXFD is responding to numerous weather related calls. Please treat all wires as if they are live and never drive under trees on wires,” reads the tweet, on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
He also retweeted Nishan Bilazarian’s post from Westport, which shows images of a flooded East Beach Road at East Horseneck Beach, at about 11:50 a.m. and a half-hour before high tide.
High wind gust in Milton: 90 mph sets a new record
Matt Douglas, the chief observer at Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center, tweeted out updates throughout the morning. A new official peak gust for the date was set at 11:33 a.m. Monday.
“New official peak here at BHO 90mph at 11:33am. It is absolutely wild up here!,” he tweeted.
The prior record for peak gust for the date was 76 mph and was set in 1978.
The record for December is 95 mph, which was set Dec. 29, 1966. If the wind gusts reach 100 mph, it would be the first time since 1985.
The Blue Hill Observatory is at 635 feet of elevation, which is the highest point east of Interstate 495 in Massachusetts.
Power outages affecting Quincy traffic
The main power outages, including traffic signal outages, are in West Quincy and the Franklin Street-Quincy Avenue area, according to Quincy Traffic Engineer Allison Ruel.
Power out in nearly all of Scituate
Scituate reported a loss of 96% of power across the town. Full restoration may take up to 72 hours after the storm passes this evening, according to a post on the town's official Facebook page at 1 p.m.
Parents of children in Scituate Public Schools will receive information from the district. School in Scituate will be closed Tuesday.
Residents and travelers should stay off the roads as crews work to clean up downed trees, poles and power lines. National Grid has reported "significant damage" to the feeder lines from a Hanover substation that powers several communities.
Scituate Senior Center opens for those needing shelter or power
If you need shelter or the ability to power electronic devices, the Scituate Senior Center will be open Monday through 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Scituate Town Library will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and town hall will be open through 4:45 p.m. Monday and from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Call 911 for any emergency or downed power lines, or 781-545-1212 for non-emergencies. To report an outage, contact National Grid at 1-800-465-1212.
Weymouth government offices closed
Weymouth town offices have closed due to lost power. Departments are checking emails remotely. Residents can reach the mayor's emergency hotline at 800-335-8606. The DPW is open and working to clear roads of debris, according to the town's website.
Braintree police: Avoid Five Corners
Braintree police were encouraging drivers to avoid the Five Corners area as work to repair overhead lights continues.
The department posted an advisory to its Facebook page at 8 a.m. Monday telling people to avoid the area or expect traffic delays if they do drive in the area.
"MassDOT reports it’ll be some time before the lights are back up," the post said. "Detours are being put in place."
YMCA branches in Quincy and Hanover are closed
Due to widespread power outages, the Emilson YMCA and Hale Family YMCA branches are closed.
Hanover police and fire report trees down, car crash
Hanover police and fire responded to multiple storm-related calls, according to the fire department's Facebook page.
A large tree fell onto a vehicle at 1024 Main St., firefighters reported on social media. The driver of the vehicle was evaluated and no injuries were reported.
Other reported incidents include:
Downed trees in the road and subsequent pulled power lines were reported in the area of Old Farm Road and Essex Street, making the area impassable.
A tree branch on a power line was reported at 874 Circuit St.
There was a two-car crash at 778 Washington St.
Broadway is shut down from Cross Street to Center Street for trees on wires.
A tree is down at 75 Mill St., affecting power lines.
The Shaw's in Hanover lost power Monday. The store remains closed as of 1 p.m.
Hanover police reported that power is out on Route 53, which has affected all traffic lights.
Keep safe: Weather alerts as the storm continues
Lower South Shore hit hard
Carver experienced a high concentration of outages, with nearly 2,800 customers affected as of 2 p.m. That figure accounts for nearly half of all Eversource customers in the town.
Kingston's outage numbers have risen by 1,000 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., going from 1,384 to 2,373. Plymouth outages have risen from 2,568 to 4,857 in that same time period.
No ferry service to Hull on Tuesday
There won’t be any ferry service from Hull on Tuesday as MBTA personnel inspect damage to commuter floats at 7:30 a.m., according to the town’s Emergency Management department.
Hull Light Plant crews were working to restore power to the area through the night. The power to 60 homes and the high school were restored by 3:30 p.m.
Flights grounded at Logan Airport
Flights at Logan International Airport were grounded as of about 11 a.m. More than 140 flights were canceled and more than 200 flights were delayed, WCVB reported.
Some airlines are waiving rebooking fees for travelers affected by the storm, including American Airlines passengers who planned to travel through Logan Airport.
Delta is also waiving its change fee and fare difference for those rebooking flights on or before the Dec. 21. JetBlue is doing the same. Travelers can rebook flights through Wednesday, WCVB reported.
How much rain fell in your town?
The National Weather Service released the wind and rainfall reports as of 2 p.m. Monday for Massachusetts. The “observations are collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures. … Not all data listed are considered official,” according to the service. As of 2 p.m., Ashfield in Franklin County had the highest report with 4.8 inches.
Here are amounts reported in Norfolk County:
Norwood Airport: 2.74 inches as of 1:36 p.m.
Millis: 2.2 inches as of 9:20 a.m.
Foxboro: 2.06 inches as of 8:20 a.m.
Bellingham: 1.98 inches as of 7:21 a.m.
Medway: 1.84 inches as of 6:40 a.m.
Quincy: 1.76 inches as of 8:30 a.m.
Norfolk: 1.72 inches as of 7 a.m.
Stoughton: 1.5 inches as of 6:30 a.m.
Walpole: 1.5 inches as of 7:15 am.
Wellesley: 1.45 inches as of 7:21 a.m.
Blue Hill Coop: 1.39 inches as of 7 a.m.
Milton: 1.37 inches as of 7 a.m.
Randolph: 1.32 inches as of 5:47 a.m.
Braintree: 1.25 inches as of 7 a.m.
Here are amounts reported in Plymouth County:
Rockland: 2.17 inches as of 11:50 a.m.
Middleboro: 2 inches as of 08:14 a.m.
Hanson: 1.86 inches as of 7 a.m.
Bridgewater: 1.86 inches as of 7 a.m.
North Marshfield: 1.8 inches as of 8 a.m.
Plymouth: 1.67 inches as of 9:52 a.m.
Whitman: 1.64 inches as of 7:30 a.m.
Rochester: 1.63 inches as of 7 a.m.
Bridgewater: 1.58 inches as of 6:10 a.m.
Scituate: 1.48 inches as of 7 a.m.
Hingham: 1.42 inches as of 6:47 a.m.
Carver: 1.4 inches as of 8 a.m.
Marshfield: 1 inch as of 6:20 a.m.
Kingston: 1 inch as of 6 a.m.
Abington: 0.97 inches as of 5 a.m.
Wareham: 0.95 inches as of 7 a.m.
Marion: 0.83 inches as of 7 a.m.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore power outages, trees-down-road-closures-flooding
