Eversource area power outage update - still widespread in Wareham, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester

BOSTON - With the first nor’easter of the season bringing strong winds and heavy rain to the commonwealth that caused significant, widespread destruction, hundreds of Eversource line, tree and service crews are assessing and clearing damage to make hard-hit areas safe and restore power to customers.

As of 9:47 a.m., Eversource was reporting 76% of Wareham without power, 98% without power in Marion, 67% without power in Mattapoisett, and 81% without power in Rochester. The outage report is updated approximately every 15 to 30 minutes.

Since the beginning of the storm, crews have restored power to more than 129,000 customers and will continue working around the clock until all approximately 260,000 customers across the state without power as of 2 p.m. have it back, according to an Eversource release Wednesday. With parts of Massachusetts still experiencing hazardous wind gusts from this nor’easter and the potential for additional outages, particularly along the South Shore and Cape, the energy company will need to continue damage assessment before a global restoration time is available.

“This nor’easter brought roaring winds with gusts upwards of 90 miles per hour to Massachusetts, causing widespread damage and outages in every region of the state,” said Eversource Vice President of Electric Operations Bill Ritchie. “The electric system continues to take on damage, and once the winds subside and debris is cleared from the roadways, we will be able to complete our assessment and have a clearer idea about a restoration timeline. Additional out-of-state crews will be arriving to support this massive restoration effort tomorrow and Friday, and our dedicated employees will not stop working until all of our customers in the commonwealth have power.” 

In addition to the thousands of line, tree and service workers, damage assessors, troubleshooters and other support staff currently focused on restoration efforts in Massachusetts, Eversource continues to secure additional out-of-state crews – including Eversource crews from Connecticut and New Hampshire once restoration is complete there – as well as from Canada, who will be arriving in Massachusetts through tomorrow and Friday. The crews arriving tomorrow are in addition to external crews that were secured in advance of the storm and have been working today.

Customers should be cautious when starting their own storm clean up – be careful moving or cutting tree limbs, look for any wires that may be entangled in debris, assume all downed wires are energized and report them immediately to 911. Customers who are without power and using a generator should be sure the generator is located well away from their home or business and that the transfer switch is working properly.

Also, flooding can cause damage to a home furnace or other natural gas appliances and some natural gas heating systems may be affected in the event of a power interruption. Customers who smell gas should leave their home immediately, call 911 from a safe place, and call 800-592-2000 in Eastern Massachusetts or 800-525-8222 for former Columbia Gas customers.

Eversource urges customers to always stay clear of any downed wires and to report them immediately to 911. Be sure to report any outage online at Eversource.com, or by calling 800-592-2000 in Eastern Massachusetts and 877-659-6326 in Western Massachusetts.