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GRAFTON, Mass. — Grafton escaped extensive damage from Hurricane Sandy when it brushed by on Monday. Despite that, there are 1,767 homes still without electricity.
As of 3:30 p.m., the outage map on the National Grid website showed the hardest hit areas are Old Westboro Road, Pleasant Street, Westborough Road, and Follette Street.
A reporter walked Follett Street late Tuesday morning, where 55 customers were still dark, and found downed wires but no crews. Along the road, neighbors were outside cleaning debris from yesterday’s hurricane, while the sound of generators running in backyards was heard. Barricades were set up at both ends of the road.
It was similar on Pleasant Street where 590 customers are without power.
Despite that, it is an improvement. Last night at 8:30 p.m. there were 3,800 sitting in the dark.
Ray Mead, the Emergency Management Director for the Town of Grafton, said the response overall went well.
“There were power outages and trees down, but not on a grand scale,” he said.
When asked about the 1,767 people still without power, Mead said that he has been getting updates from National Grid every half hour.
“I would expect power to be fully restored by the end of the day,” he said, adding there are at least one to three National Grid trucks working in town at all times.
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is keeping a close eye on the utility company’s progress in the state, which are facing millions of dollars in fines for their response from last year.
“Now is the time for them to perform,’’ Patrick said in a press conference Monday afternoon. “We have to see how that goes and make a judgment when we see how it goes.’’
The Grafton Police had their hands full Monday. According to the police log, there were 43 calls logged in about downed wires and trees between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.
In addition, the fire department was on first response but went out on only two calls during the storm.
A shelter in the Municipal Center was planned but never executed since the storm and the warm temperatures were manageable.
The Daily Voice, available on computer, tablet and smartphone, will be updating with the latest local information throughout the storm. Have cancellations or storm damage photos? Email rprice@dailyvoice.com.
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