Grafton Lost Power and Trees But Fared Better Than 2011

GRAFTON,  Mass. — Well, at least it didn’t snow this year.

As of 8:30 p.m. National Grid reported that over 3,800 Grafton residents lost electricity during Monday’s beating from Hurricane Sandy. Although significant, it surely came as a relief that it wasn't the 90 percent power outages felt last year.

But when the storm set in during the afternoon, first responders stayed busy. By 3 p.m. the police radar was all about downed trees as winds revved up to 55 mph with gusts around 65 mph.

On Milford Road, a large branch was suspended on power lines; on Follette Street calls came in about a down tree that took a pole with it; two downed poles were reported earlier in the day near the Nelson Library, knocking out the lights for businesses like Stop and Shop and CVS for several hours.

By 5 p.m. a large part of Upton Street was closed due to a fallen tree.  At the height of the wind storm , a complaint was heard on the police radio that the town was running out of road barriers.

By 6 p.m. there were large neighborhoods still without power including Pleasant Street, Bruce Street, Providence Road north of Keith Hill Road, and Old Upton Road to name a few. National Grid trucks were spotted patrolling the roads into the night.

Some streets, though without power, had homes with lights. On Pleasant Street, for example, a handful of houses were seen running generators.

Grafton schools, like most in the state, were canceled for the day. Superintendent of Schools James Cummings was evaluating whether schools would re-open Tuesday.

National Grid had a dedicated team just for Grafton, according to Ray Mead, the  Emergency Management Director.  The shelter was never opened since temperatures were in the 60s most of the day.

Rivers and lakes did not crest and roads saw only moderate flooding.

But the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday are showers off and on as the hurricane slowly wrings itself out. There will be no significant accumulation though, allowing road crews to finish clearing the roads and restoring power.

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