Storm knocks out power, closes roads throughout region

 JMS Tree of Jaffrey responds to trees fallen on a home in Rindge. 

 JMS Tree of Jaffrey responds to trees fallen on a home in Rindge.  COURTESY PHOTO BY JMS TREE SERVICE

A crew member works to clear a fallen tree on Webster Highway in Temple.

A crew member works to clear a fallen tree on Webster Highway in Temple. —PHOTO BY EMILY SLIVIAK

A tree across wires in Rindge in the aftermath of Saturday’s storm, which closed roads, damaged houses and left thousands without power.

A tree across wires in Rindge in the aftermath of Saturday’s storm, which closed roads, damaged houses and left thousands without power. PHOTO COURTESY JMS TREE SERVICE 

STAFF REPORTS

Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

Published: 03-25-2024 1:15 PM

Thousands of customers were left without power after an early spring storm swept through the area Saturday, and Eversource was still working to restore electricity on Monday.

According to Eversource, as of 12:45 p.m. Monday, power outages numbered 72 in Antrim, 119 in Bennington, 274 in Dublin, 293 in Francestown, 40 in Greenfield, fewer than two in Greenville, 185 in Hancock, 303 in Jaffrey, 105 in Lyndeborough, 10 in Mason, 46 in New Ipswich, 303 in Peterborough, 221 in Rindge, 98 in Sharon, 69 in Temple and 30 in Wilton. Outages had been as high as 592 in Rindge, 473 in Jaffrey and 415 in Peterborough Monday morning.

Dublin Police Department responded to six calls for service, some of which resulted in road closures. All of the closed roads have reopened, but as of 10:30 a.m. Monday, the town center, including the Dublin Community Church, was still without power.

In Hancock, a downed tree on a wire on Middle Road led to its closure. It has since reopened.

Temple Emergency Medical Director Bill McDonnell released a statement Sunday acknowledging the damage done by the freezing rain and high winds was considerably more than anticipated. All roads previously closed from downed trees or power lines have been reopened, but the town may not have power fully restored for up to three more days, according to Eversource. Additionally, a vehicle hit a downed tree on West Road at 3 a.m. Sunday. An ambulance was called, but it was canceled. 

Wilton Fire Chief Don Nourse said that while the Fire Department responded to several locations for downed trees and power lines, the town was “not severely impacted by the storm like surrounding towns.”

In Antrim, which received higher snow totals than the region’s more southern towns – nine inches, according to the National Weather service -- as of Monday morning, most of Goodell Road in Antrim was still without power due to damage to a transformer. Antrim Emergency Director Marshall Gale stated that “There is a new transformer in route to that location this morning. Two crews have been assigned to that job, but it is a major rewiring operation.” 

In Greenfield, the unpaved end of Bennington Road was still without power Monday morning due to downed wires. The Emergency Management department reported no major calls. 

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In Francestown, Fire Chief Larry Kullgren reported that some roads were still closed, but that no injuries or major issues had been reported. 

On Monday morning, the Bennington Emergency Management Department reported that Eversource was working on the facility on Cross Street, affecting 115 customers. Keith Nason of the Bennington Emergency Management Department stated that some homes were receiving a “weak power supply” due to a damaged transformer in the downtown/Route 202 area, and that Eversource was addressing the issue.

In Rindge, calls for road hazards began around 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, with a report of trees down on the roadway of Middle Winchendon Road near Route 202. Police were also notified of a blockage caused by a tree on wires on Old New Ipswich Road at around 7:17 p.m., and wires on trees in the roadway near Route 119 at 7:30 p.m. There was also a report of trees on wires on Cutter Hill Road. A broken wire was reported on Cathedral Road, but was moved to the side of the road quickly and did not close the road.

The southbound lane of Route 119 near Scotts Lane was impacted when a large tree came down in the roadway, blocking the southbound lane. The Rindge Fire Department responded and cut the tree and removed debris from the roadway, and with assistance from the Department of Transportation plow, was able to remove the trunk of the tree and clear the roadway.

The Rindge Fire Department responded to a report of a tree on fire, caused by landing on wires, across the street from Cheshire Marketplace on Route 202. The Fire Department located the trees, which were actively burning.

At least two crashes were associated with weather conditions in Rindge. The first, reported at 8:25 p.m. on Saturday, involved a pickup truck that had gone off the roadway on Mountain Road near University Drive. The driver was not injured, and the truck undamaged. The truck was successfully towed out. The second was at 9:38 p.m. on Route 119 near North Street, where a black Infinity sedan went off the roadway and hit a guardrail. There was minor damage to the vehicle, and no injury to the driver. The vehicle was towed from the scene.

In New Ipswich, Police Chief Mike Abel said as of Monday morning, the majority of cleanup had been completed. The only major closure of town roadways during the storm was Wheeler Road, Abel said, which was blocked for the majority of a day due to a tree and wires down. While Abel said there were other, minor road hazards reported throughout the day, Wheeler Road was closed for the longest duration. Due to downed wires, the area of Timbertop Road in New Ipswich experienced power outages lasting longer than 24 hours.

During the aftermath of the storm, New Ipswich police responded to assist a motorist who had run over a tree branch that had come down during the storm, resulting in a flat tire. Police assisted the motorist, who was able to continue on their way.

Ashley Saari, Jesseca Timmons, Cameron Cashman and Bill Fonda contributed to this story.