Emergency crews working to restore power for tens of thousands of residents

EASTHAMPTON, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - There are tens of thousands of people in the dark here in western Massachusetts as a Nor’easter swept across the region.

In Easthampton, the storm has downed power lines throughout the city. About 10% of homes were still without power as of Tuesday evening. Now, those in the dark hope it is hours and not days before the lights come back on.

“Rough,” said Easthampton resident Luanne Carbaugh. “I mean, we expected it, but the power went out a couple hours ago, and so now, we’re trying to figure it out.”

A snowstorm Monday night into Tuesday brought wet, heavy snow to western Mass. and left tens of thousands of people in the dark. Carbaugh compared the conditions to the October snowstorm in 2011.

“We’re just hoping and praying it’s not that bad because that was a week and that was rough, that was really hard, so we’re hoping it’s hours and not days,” she told us.

At the Easthampton Public Safety Complex, police, fire, and the DPW were hard at work in the emergency control center.

“We’ve got crews out for both police and fire, canvassing the area, working with the DPW crews to make sure that we have all notifications into Eversource,” said Easthampton Fire Chief Chris Norris.

Chief Norris offered some key safety tips such as never using generators inside and making sure to clear any vents that could be blocked from snow falling off your roof.

“Stay away from any downlines because there’s always the potential for those to be energized,” he added. “We’re telling people to be patient.”

A spokesperson for the National Grid told us that they have brought in crews from nine states and restored power to more than 23,000 customers since Monday night. In a statement to Western Mass News, officials said, in part:

“Field personnel in Massachusetts are responding to emergency 911 and wire down calls, assessing damage, clearing trees, and repairing electrical infrastructure where conditions are safe … Once damage assessment nears completion, National Grid will provide more information on estimated restoration times.”

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