What we know Saturday on Cape Cod: Power restoration, free meals, CO safety and more
Times reporters are out in the field across Cape Cod reporting on the aftermath of the "bomb cyclone" nor'easter that slammed into the region Tuesday and Wednesday. We will be updating this story throughout the day, providing information about power outages, emergency shelters, where to charge cellphones, transportation and more. Please scroll down to find the information.
If you have a question about these topics please email news@capecodonline.com and put "storm question" in the subject line and we will do our best to find the answer.
Cape Cod power restored to thousands of Eversource customers
Power was restored to more than 50,000 Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Eversource customers since Friday. As of 9 a.m. Saturday, about 8,175 customers were still without electricity, according to the Eversource Outage Map.
Bourne (2,892 customers) and Wareham (3,421 customers) have the highest percentage of customers without power. In Barnstable, about 2,000 customers are still in the dark and in Falmouth, about 1,200 customers have no electricity.
Eversource continues to promise power will be restored to 98% of customers by 6 p.m. Saturday, according to the company's schedule of restoration.
Below is a town-by-town list of Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard power restoration as of 9 a.m. Saturday.
AQUINNA, 2%
BARNSTABLE, 6%
BOURNE, 25%
BREWSTER, .5%
CHATHAM, .06%
CHILMARK, 17%
DENNIS, .5%
EASTHAM, 1%
EDGARTOWN, .4%
FALMOUTh, 4.5%
HARWICH, .1%
MASHPEE, .2%
OAK BLUFFS, .5%
ORLEANS, .1%
PROVINCETOWN,.02%
SANDWICH, 6.4%
TISBURY, 1%
TRURO, 1%
WAREHAM, 23%
WELLFLEET, .7%
WEST TISBURY, 2.6%
YARMOUTH, 2.4%
Cape Cod power restored to many more customers, still many to go
“We are not going to sleep until every customer is on,” said Joe Nolan, president and chief executive officer of Eversource at a 4 p.m. press conference Friday in Falmouth. “This is one of the largest efforts that Eversource has been involved in for quite some time and it is going very very smoothly.”
Nolan was referring to the nor’easter that brought heavy rains and winds that exceeded 80 mph at its peak Tuesday evening, causing roughly 500,000 customers to lose power in eastern Massachusetts.
“We were able to knock it down significantly with 1,600 crews from across the country and as far as Canada working around the clock,” Nolan said.
Rough estimates from Thursday have been refined, he said, through an Eversource Town-Level Estimated Time of Restoration map, which can be found on the company website (https://outagemap.eversource.com/external/default.html), and will reflect the day and time power will be restored for the vast majority of customers — although he said complicated cases could remain an issue.
“Every single circumstance is different due to different types of construction, but I’ll tell you, the damage is severe,” he said. “I haven’t witnessed this type of damage in five to seven years. Sandy was very very bad, but this is a very serious storm, and every circumstance is different.”
Along with power restoration, Eversource crews, according to a press release, are clearing blocked roads, repairing and replacing roughly 300 broken utility poles and restoring an estimated 80 miles of downed electric lines.
Nolan said crews picked up 25,000 outages overnight — all of which were restored, he said. But with out-of-state crews reporting back to their home regions over the next few days, and a day of rain forecast for Saturday, customers could see a temporary loss of service — including moments when Eversource crews continue to put the system “back into a normal configuration.”
In addition to residential areas, Nolan said the region’s nursing facilities and schools have also had power restored.
“Some chose not to open today, but all schools are back,” Nolan said. “We’ve got all nursing facilities, critical facilities back.”
— Rachael Devaney
Free meals for Barnstable Public Schools students
The Barnstable town website is reporting that free food is available for all of the town's public school students. Free Grab n Go meals will be given out from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at Barnstable High School (rear of the building by tennis courts).
Generator safety prevents carbon monoxide poisoning
Cape Fire departments have been responding to an increased number of calls for carbon monoxide alarms — some due to power outages that triggered the alarms, others are due to misuse of generators.
Assistant Chief of Bourne Fire Department David Pelonzi said the department has been able to respond to calls efficiently, due to increased staffing during this time of emergency.
Carbon monoxide alarms go off for two reasons, said Mashpee Fire Chief Thomas Rullo.
The first reason is power outages. When backup batteries go bad in the detectors, the devices are prone to sound a false alarm. Weak or dead carbon monoxide detectors pose another risk: If someone is using a generator indoors or has a high level of carbon monoxide in their home for another reason, the detector may not pick up on it.
The second reason for carbon monoxide calls is that people are misusing generators. Rullo said that a lot of people are running generators in their garages to keep them from getting wet. This poses a serious risk, he said, since garages are often connected to homes, or near enough for carbon monoxide to vent inside the house.
Rullo’s advice is to follow the manufacturer’s instructions since each generator is different. Some may ask that the owner put the generator five feet away from the house, others may require 10 feet.
Harwich Fire Chief David Leblanc said it's best to have a plan beforehand as to where to put the generator to avoid scrambling for a place to put it during a storm.
As for where you put it, a sheltered area that won’t leak carbon monoxide into your home is the best place. However, Leblanc echoed Rullo’s advice, saying that reading a manufacturer's instructions is key to safety.
Where can I charge my cellphone and warm-up on Cape Cod?
Residents in need of a place to charge phones and warm-up on Friday through Sunday can go to the following locations. Most locations advised residents to bring their own chargers.
Barnstable
YMCA Cape Cod, located at 2245 Iyannough Road in West Barnstable, opened its doors to those who need to charge devices, warm-up, use Wi-Fi and take showers; services are free through Sunday. The YMCA is open until 8:30 p.m. on Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
West Barnstable Fire Department, located at 2160 Meetinghouse Way, is open Friday for residents to warm up, charge devices, and access the internet (WIFI Password: 2942972960). Residents can also fill water containers for cooking or flushing toilets there, or from 500-gallon water tanks available at two locations: intersection of Cedar Street and Barnhill Road, and the old fire station at 1733 Main St.
Barnstable Adult Community Center, located at 825 Falmouth Road in Hyannis, will be open until 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
Cotuit Library, located at 871 Main St., will be open until 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
Bourne
Bourne Fire Station #3, located at 51 Meeting House Lane in Sagamore, will be open until 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Please do not go to the community center, as the generator there broke.
Brewster
Room B in Town Hall, located at 2198 Main Street, will be open until 3 p.m. on Friday.
Chatham
Chatham Community Center, located at 702 Main Street, will be open until 8 p.m. on Friday.
Eastham
Eastham Public Library, located at 190 Samoset Road, will be open on Friday. Public Wi-Fi is also available in its parking lot.
Falmouth
Gus Canty Community Center, located at 790 Main St., will be open until 5 p.m. Friday.
Falmouth Senior Center, located at 780 Main St., will be open until 4 p.m. Friday.
Officials advise residents to sign up for free FalmouthAlert for further updates: text ‘falmouthmaalert’ to 67283 or visit https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/reg.action?pa=falmouthma to sign up.
The town Emergency Operations Center can be reached at 508-495-2602.
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Harwich
The Harwich Community Center, at 100 Oak St., will be open until 4 p.m. on Friday.
The Brooks Free Library, at 739 Main St., will be open until 4 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday for residents in need of charging ports, heat and internet.
Mashpee
CapeSpace, located at 13 Steeple St., in Mashpee Commons, is open until 6 p.m. on Friday.
Orleans
Orleans Town Hall, 19 School Road, will offer a charging station and warming center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, staffed by Community Emergency Response Team volunteers.
Sandwich
The Human Services Building, located at 270 Quaker Meetinghouse Road, will be open until 8 p.m. on Friday.
Yarmouth
Yarmouth Senior Center, located at 528 Forest Road in West Yarmouth, will be open until 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
The Cultural Center of Cape Cod, located at 307 Old Main St. in South Yarmouth, will be open until 5 p.m. on Friday, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
— Jeannette Hinkle
Posted at 12:30 p.m.
Here's when Cape Cod power will be back: Town by town
Eversource released a schedule of when power will be restored to towns on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and elsewhere in Massachusetts. Below are the dates and times residents across the region can expect the lights to come on:
Barnstable: Saturday at 6 p.m.
Bourne: Saturday at 6 p.m.
Brewster: Saturday at noon
Storm Damage Cape Cod:Cape Cod residents pick up the pieces after destructive nor'easter
Chatham: Friday at 6 p.m.
Dennis: Friday at 11:59 p.m.
Eastham: Saturday at 6 p.m.
Edgartown: Friday at 8 p.m.
Falmouth: Saturday at 6 p.m.
Harwich: Friday at 6 p.m.
Hyannis: Substantially Complete
Mashpee: Friday at 6 p.m.
Oak Bluffs: Friday at 11:59 p.m.
Orleans: Friday at 11:59 p.m.
Provincetown: Substantially Complete
Sagamore: Substantially Complete
Sandwich: Friday at 6 p.m.
Tisbury: Friday at 11:59 p.m.
Truro: Friday at 11:59 p.m.
Power outage maps:Nor'easter triggers power outages across eastern, southern Massachusetts. Here's where
Wareham: Saturday at 6 p.m.
Wellfleet: Friday at 11:59 p.m.
West Tisbury: Saturday at 2 p.m.
Yarmouth: Saturday at 6 p.m.
Posted at 6 a.m.
Who's still without power?
As of 6:30 a.m. Friday, about 58,751 Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard customers were still without power, according to the Eversource Outage Map. Here is a town-by-town breakdown:
AQUINNAH, 2%
BARNSTABLE, 47%
BOURNE, 70.90%
BREWSTER, 20%
CHATHAM, 19%
CHILMARK, 25%
DENNIS, 25%
EASTHAM, 40%
EDGARTOWN, 2%
FALMOUTH, 43%
HARWICH, 3.6%
MASHPEE, 16%
OAK BLUFFS, 7%
ORLEANS, 31%
PROVINCETOWN, .2%
SANDWICH, 44%
TISBURY, 21%
TRURO, 8%
WAREHAM, 46%
WELLFLEET, 25%
WEST TISBURY, 11%
YARMOUTH, 19%
Cape Cod school cancellations on Friday
Many Cape Cod schools will be closed Friday due to power outages and roads blocked by down trees. Here's the list:
Barnstable Public Schools
Bourne Public Schools
Cape Cod Children's Place
Falmouth Public Schools
Curious Cape Cod::The no-power nor'easter blues
Nauset Public Schools
Provincetown Public Schools
Sandwich Public Schools
Upper Cape Cod Regional Voc. Tech
Posted 6 a.m.
When Cape Cod power will be restored
Joe Nolan, president and CEO of Eversource, said he expects power to be restored to 98% of its Cape Cod customers by 6 p.m. Saturday. Estimates on when individual customers can expect power to be restored will be available tonight.
Halloween will go on, he said during an 11 a.m. Thursday press conference at the Falmouth Mall.
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Areas of the Cape have been broken into 10 different zones, and crews in the different zones are competing against each other to see who can restore power the fastest, he said. More than 1,200 utility crews are out in the field in the region.
Two crew members were injured when tree branches snapped came back and hit the workers, Nolan said, adding that they are all right.
There is an "extraordinary amount of damage on the Cape, it exceeds other places," he said. He rated the storm in the top 5 of what he has seen.
A Town of Barnstable post on Facebook reported information from Eversource that said the initial damage as of Thursday morning included more than 120 blocked roads, 140 broken poles and more than 30 miles of downed electrical wire.
Nearly 640 trees – so far – needed to be cleared, the post said.
Nolan predicted an "extraordinary” drop by sunset Thursday in the number of customers who don't have power.
“I can promise you that,” he said. "I think you'll see some unbelievable progress by the end of the day."
Early Thursday, an army of trucks were parked in the Cape Cod Mall parking lot near Target. Utility workers had been called in from as far as Arizona and Quebec to help restore power to the Cape and Islands.
Bomb cyclone:Topples trees and cuts power to almost all of Cape Cod and Islands
Trucks from across the country and Canada — including Asplundh, Altec, Holland, Dagle Electric Construction, Besco, and Sparkings — were parked in the lot along with crews with Motor City Electric from Detroit, Michigan. Paragould Electric sent trucks and personnel from Arizona. And Daniel Dumas, the general manager for Gagnon Construction based in Montreal, was in charge of 164 people and 70 trucks.
The crew from Canada came in at midnight and were up at 5 a.m., Dumas said.
“It’s big, but we’ve seen worse,” he said about the damage that caused outages across the cape.
The priority is establishing public safety before the power was turned back on, Blouin said. Main circuits would be restored first, then secondary circuits.
Eversource mobile response trailers and trucks loaded with equipment waited in staging areas. Trucks were lined up to load supplies that included everything from transformers and cross braces for telephone poles to service cables, mobile lights and generators.
“We never know when we’ll finish,” Dumas said. “We’ll stay till we finish.”
He had a message for little ghosts and goblins.
"I also want to tell all the trick or treaters that they should not worry. Halloween will go on, we're not canceling Halloween, not on my watch.”
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During his press conference, Nolan had a message for little ghosts and goblins.
"I also want to tell all the trick or treaters that they should not worry. Halloween will go on, we're not canceling Halloween, not on my watch.”
At the end of his press conference, Nolan mentioned the 25-megawatt battery project Eversource is working on to provide power to Provincetown when there is an outage. On Wednesday the town was 100% without power. The battery project should be commissioned within the next two months.
— Anne Brennan, Denise Coffey, Tiffany Rodgers, and Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll
Cellphone network connection repaired
OpenCape said Thursday it has restored service to the bulk of its fiber optic network damaged during the nor’easter.
The nonprofit tech company, based in West Barnstable, provides fiber connection for AT&T on the Cape and connects about 70 cell phone towers using physical fiber connections. It also provides broadband internet services to businesses and government entities.
The storm cut fibers in Bridgewater and in Centerville, and repairs were delayed since crews were unable to reach the towers while high winds persisted.
While OpenCape’s services are operating, many of its customers are still waiting for power to be restored, the company said.
— Asad Jung
Temporary cell towers allow communication for first responders
Communications are back up and running for the Bourne Police Department and other Cape Cod first responders after four temporary communication towers were erected in less than 24 hours, according to Bourne police.
The effort happened through a partnership between Bourne police and FirstNet, a post-9/11 telecommunications network that enables first responders to communicate effectively in times of emergency.
FirstNet is powered by AT&T and is an independent agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, according to its website.
It was “night and day” when the four temporary towers were erected, said Bourne police Lt. Brandon Esip. Damage from the nor’easter that touched down Tuesday night made department personnel unable to communicate through their department-issued cell phones, and also reduced their ability to communicate with each other through radio, he said.
The location of the new towers was not disclosed due to security concerns. Esip said other Cape police departments use FirstNet, too, but wasn't sure which ones. FirstNet can also be used by others who need to be able to respond to emergencies, including on- and off-duty nurses, doctors and firefighters.
— Asad Jung
Is the Cape Cod Mall open?
Cape Cod Mall will reopen from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday. Store hours may vary for individual retailers in the mall, according to the mall website. Customers are advised to contact each retailer or restaurant to find out if they are open.
Cape Cod power restored to about 48% of customers
Eversource crews made some headway overnight toward restoring power to thousands of Cape Codders in the dark from the devastating nor'easter.
As of 7 a.m. Thursday, about 52% of the utility's customers were still without power on the Cape and Martha's Vineyard, or 106,078 customers, according to Eversource's online outage map. That compares to about 72% of its customers in the region with power outages late Wednesday afternoon.
On the Cape, Bourne has the highest percentage of customers without power, at 91% this morning, followed by Falmouth at 78%, Sandwich at 73%, Barnstable at 70% and Orleans at 68%. Here's the rundown:
- Bourne, 91%
- Falmouth, 78%
- Sandwich, 73%
- Barnstable, 70%
- Orleans, 68%
- Eastham, 59%
- Wellfleet, 59%
- Chatham, 53%
- Dennis, 46%
- Mashpee, 44%
- Brewster, 43%
- Harwich, 34%
- Yarmouth, 29%
- Truro, 14%
- Provincetown, 5%
— Gregory Bryant
Posted at 7:20 a.m. Thursday
Cape Cod medical care
Cape Cod Healthcare sites open on Thursday include Cape Cod Hospital, Falmouth Hospital, JML Care Center and Heritage at Falmouth, and all urgent care sites except for Osterville Urgent Care center at 770 Main St., according to an announcement.
Lab Services locations with power will be open, the press release said, and Cape Cod Healthcare Primary Care and Specialty Care locations would remain closed until noon on Thursday. More information: https://www.capecodhealth.org/locations/.
Cape Cod emergency planning update set for 10 a.m.
The Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC) — comprised of state, county, and local officials, first responders, emergency managers, elected officials, and other regional partners — is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Thursday to assess widespread power outages and damage as a result of the nor’easter that continues to impact Cape Cod and the Islands.
According to Sonja Sheasley, the communications manager for the committee, updates would be forthcoming.
Barnstable police Capt. Christopher Beal was waiting for first light Thursday to survey the damage from the nor’easter. He said a number of streets remained closed because of downed trees and power lines. Route 6A was closed in spots, some intersections were still without power, and damage was widespread, he said.
“It will be a while before power is restored,” he said.
The Chatham Police Department reported that more than 1,000 Eversource crews will be working across the Cape and South Shore.
Harwich Fire personnel responded to 51 incidents on Wednesday. Many of those related to the storm, with trees and wires down.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
— Denise Coffey
Cape Cod shelters
Sean O’Brien, Barnstable County’s emergency preparedness coordinator and director of the county department of health and environment, said Wednesday that shelters would be opened at the request of town officials. He advised anyone in need of shelter to contact officials in their town.
'We’re still in the middle of it':Eversource says Cape Cod power outage will last days
Cape Cod and the Islands transportation
Updated at 8 a.m.
The Steamship Authority reports that service disruptions are possible as the storm moves out of the area. Several Thursday morning trips have been canceled, including the 8:30 a.m. Hyannis to Nantucket trip. Check the website for more information https://www.steamshipauthority.com/ or call 508-477-8600.
As service resumes, customers who had vehicle reservations on a canceled trip will be able to travel on a first-come, first-served standby basis. All trips are unavailable for booking Thursday and Friday.
Hy-Line Cruises are on a boat-by-boat schedule on Thursday. The first boat to Nantucket was canceled due to weather. At 7:03 a.m., a decision hadn’t been made about canceling the 9:05 boat to Nantucket. For information about service on Thursday: https://hylinecruises.com/
Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority's fixed-route buses are operating but experiencing delays due to detours and road closures. Dial-a-ride service is spotty. For more information: https://www.capecodtransit.org/ or call 800-352-7155.
Plymouth & Brockton buses continued to provide service Wednesday but experienced some delays. For more information about bus schedules: https://www.p-b.com/
Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Hyannis is open with sporadic service; Cape Air is operating some flights. Customers are advised to check with the airlines about flight schedules.
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Keep up to date:Download the Cape Cod Times app ahead of the storm
Cape Cod school closures
Most Cape Cod and Island schools are closed Thursday, including Cape Cod Community College. For more information visit: https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2021/10/28/cape-cod-school-closures-power-outage-after-bomb-cyclone-noreaster/8580039002/
Cape Cod and Islands weather forecast
The National Weather forecast for the Cape on Thursday calls for highs in the mid 50’s, with winds 15 to 20 miles an hour, and gusts up to 35 miles an hour.