Politics & Government

Hurricane Sandy Closes Roads, Cuts Off Power

Officials focused on three neighborhoods affected by Sandy.

 

As Woburn recovers from the wrath of Hurricane Sandy, officials are working hard to get the city back to normal. But, all things considered, officials believe Woburn was spared from a lot of damage.

Three neighborhoods experienced significant damages:

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  • Bedford Road
  • Whispering Hills
  • Commerce Way

"All the public safety agencies were well prepared and well staffed going into the storm and during the height of the storm," said Mayor Scott Galvin on Tuesday morning.

Mayor Galvin reported that the city was in constant contact with NStar regarding the power outages and blown transformers in Woburn.

Find out what's happening in Woburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As of Tuesday morning, about three percent of Woburn's NStar customers are without power. 

Wondering what happened in Woburn yesterday? Take a look at which was updated constantly throughout the storm.

Bedford Road, which had a severe incident last night in which several residents were evacuated from the area, is still closed to traffic as crews repair the situation. Mayor Galvin said that many of the homes without power are in the Bedford Road area, stretching to Quimby and "everything in between."

The Hurld School is also closed Tuesday due to the power outage in the Bedford Road neighborhood. According to residents, crews have said that the power will be back on by noon in the area.

The city's other schools began on a two-hour delay today. City Hall re-opened at its regular time, and trash pickup continues on as scheduled.

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The Commerce Way area was also hit hard Tuesday night, as there was a fire at the Avis and Pella building. Other transformers also exploded in the area, causing more problems. Crews were on scene Tuesday morning to repair the damage, but many buildings in the commercial area are still without power. Traffic lights at the Target shopping center and the Route 93 off-ramp are still blinking as of 10 a.m. this morning.

"Aside from those [three neighborhoods], all in all, we’re pretty fortunate to be where we are," said Mayor Galvin. "We don’t have any major damages to municipal properties. All our water supplies are fine. We didn’t have much flooding to mention at all."

The mayor commended the city's Police Department, Fire Department and Department of Public Works.

"We're fortunate to have those municipal departments," said Mayor Galvin. "They really step up when these events happen and they always come through with flying colors. We're proud of them for that."


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