Throughout the region, work crews and residents cope with downed trees, wires
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Across the region Monday, communities continued to cope with trees and electric lines blocking roadways and sidewalks, as well as the dangers that accompany multiple days without power.
Easthampton Director of Public Works Joseph Pipczynski said he is concerned about the casual way people are driving through or walking over wires.
"People should stay away," he said. "Eventually the power company will put power in these lines and then we won't know which ones are live."
In Southampton, Highway Superintendent Edward Cauley said he was warning his workers not to touch the wires even if they seem to be safe. "People are running generators, and they can feed power back into the power lines, so you have to be careful," he said.
Amherst Police Capt. Christopher Pronovost urged residents without power to be cautious.
"We're just asking people to use good common sense and judgment," Pronovost said.
While emergency workers responded to problems, many residents simply tried to cope.
Cheryl Poulin, of Hadley, pumping gas at the Phillips 66 Monday morning after spending a "freezing" Sunday night at her Isabel Court home, said she had not been able to find gasoline for a back-up generator at their home.
"I've never experienced anything like this before," she said. "You never think it's going to happen around here. It's a strange situation. It's about survival."
Northampton
In Northampton, officials set up an Emergency Operations Center at the King Street fire headquarters with telephone, radio and Internet communications and expert personnel to coordinate emergency actions for several cities and towns in central Hampshire County.
"We set up Friday morning to create a collaborative team including Amherst, Easthampton and the Hilltowns," said Fire Chief Brian Duggan. "We started with two people in the center to begin with. That grew to six as the storm progressed, and now we have about 12 people working, most of them department heads."
By Saturday night, emergency workers began using electronic sign boards strategically placed along major thoroughfares to communicate with residents.
Police Capt. Scott Savino said officers conducted well-being checks on elderly residents and were stationed at major intersections to direct traffic in the absence of traffic signals. "Our response changed from crime oriented to almost entirely public service," he said.
Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Vanasse said residents of the Grace House shelter on West Street were evacuated after it was determined they were using a gas oven for heat.
"We evacuated between 15 and 20 women and children," said Vanasse.
Residents of one building at Hampshire Heights also were evacuated after firefighters found dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in the building.
Emergency Management Coordinator Joshua Shanley said he began tracking the storm fully 36 hours before it hit.
"By Thursday evening we had a good idea it was going to be a problem," he said, in an interview Monday. "It was coming together as a serious event."
Amherst trees
Amherst Police Detective David Foster, who described hearing loud popping and snapping sounds from trees around town while on patrol Saturday night, said the storm was a whopper.
"It was a catastrophic storm that stretched everyone's resources," Foster said.
Officials there said trees that toppled and branches that fell during the storm remain the biggest obstacles confronting emergency workers as they try to make sure all residents are OK.
"Right now, we have a lot of trees to deal with," said Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford Mooring.
Evidence of this was everywhere, including in front of the police station, where limbs from trees still covered sidewalks, and near downtown businesses, where branches were being cut up and removed.
Fire Chief Tim Nelson said his department had additional staffing throughout the weekend, and organized teams that will respond to areas of town that are blocked off.
"They will go out with tools to do a deeper assessment of the streets and see if any homes are threatened," Nelson said. This work will include well-being checks on the residents.
Pronovost said town officials are working closely with Western Massachusetts Electric Co. to identify the areas where public works employees and firefighters should go so that power can be restored in a timely manner.
"We're just trying to prioritize and get all the needs of the town addressed," said Pronovost.
Easthampton copes
In Easthampton, the National Guard and Department of Public Works crews made slow progress clearing fallen branches and trees, but downed wires still blocked many streets, especially in the southern part of town known as the Plains.
"Almost every street in the Plains is closed at some point," Mottor said. "We still have a lot of trees and wires down, and any tree that is touching a wire our crews can't touch because they might be electrified."
Four National Guard specialists from the 379th Engineer Company out of Buzzards Bay wielded chain saws, assisting Public Works crews to clear paths through the debris on Hendricks, Strong, Phelps and Pomeroy streets so electric company workers could repair broken utility poles and wires.
Pipczynski said he was "very happy" to find out that the city had help from the National Guard.
"Any extra hands we can get are a blessing," he said. "I've been here over 25 years and I've never seen anything like this."
Specialist Shane Lokerson said his unit was activated Sunday and cleared debris in Whitinsville in eastern Massachusetts before heading to Easthampton today.
"We're just clearing roads," he said while unpacking chain saws at the Public Safety Complex.
On Monday night, residents enjoyed a much sought-after hot meal at the complex thanks to staff at the Easthampton Community Center, who prepared the food there.
Inside the complex Monday morning, six residents were taking advantage of electricity by charging cellphones in any available outlet in the lobby. One woman clutched heating packets in her hands while she waited.
Christel LaCroix and her son Nickolas, 8, of West Lake Street, were there for recharging on many levels: LaCroix charged her cellphone while Nickolas played with Legos and later read a book.
"We have a gas stove and hot water, but no heat, so we just used a lot of blankets," Christel LaCroix said. "But last night we had fun; we carved a pumpkin and did arts and crafts."
Nickolas said he was ready for the power to return. "It's not really fun," he said.
The Williston Northampton School contacted families Sunday asking them to bring their children home or make other arrangements, according to Chuck McCullagh, the chief financial officer of the school.
"We've told parents there is no school Tuesday or Wednesday, and we'll tentatively start classes Thursday" if power is restored, McCullagh said.
Southampton socked
In Southampton, so many streets were impassible that public works crews ran out of signs and orange cones to block them. At least 38 streets were closed to through traffic Monday afternoon.
Cauley said the department was working to clear the debris with help from three crews from the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation and five private tree cutting companies FEMA sent from Pennsylvania.
Of the more than three dozen streets that were impassable, Cauley said East Street and Russellville Road were two of the worst. On both streets, trees lying on wires caused numerous telephone poles to break.
All around Southampton, many of the impassable roads were not marked with "road closed" signs or even orange cones. Lt. Michael Goyette said all the town's sawhorses, cones and other equipment were not enough to keep up with the road closures.
On Gunn Road, Nicole Fletcher of Fletcher Farm said Sunday night a vehicle drove into a tree that was completely blocking the road by her house because there was no warning that the road was blocked.
The cows at Fletcher Farm were being milked thanks to a generator powered by a tractor. Since the Fletcher home was without power, Nicole's mother, Cheryl Fletcher, prepared coffee and a full hot breakfast on a skillet in the barn.
Fletchers had not harvested some of their hay and corn, but they are hoping the crops will be salvageable when the snow melts.
"It's still standing, so hopefully the snow will just disappear and we can chop the corn as usual," Nicole Fletcher said.
At Big Y supermarket, the only grocery store open in the Easthampton and Southampton area, customers grabbed the last batteries and flashlights off the shelves, preparing for days more without power.
"We're almost out of batteries, bottled water, that's the last of the bread and we're totally out of propane," said Kierstin Kuchyt, a Big Y employee working at the courtesy booth. "People are getting a little frantic."
Ellery and Dolores Frary of Moose Brook Road in Southampton checked out with a cart full of two cases of bottled water, two packages of batteries and a bag of Russell Stover chocolates. "All the essentials," Dolores Frary said, laughing.
Other towns
Hadley opened a warming shelter where hot food was served at Hadley Elementary School at 21 River Drive 2 and 8 p.m., according to Town Administrator David Nixon.
Hadley residents in need of overnight shelter were encouraged to head to Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in Northampton.
Roads closed in Hadley include Rocky Hill Road and North Maple Street.
In Leverett, a steady stream of residents showed up at a school shelter seeking warmth, food, a charge for their cellphones and a little information.
Sharon Raskevitz, one of the shelter volunteers, said the facility would remain open to residents until power was restored. The shelter is equipped with 50 cots, but could accommodate up to 140 people if they provided their own bedding, she said.
Nancy Mitchell and her daughter Jennifer were the only people to spend the night at the school Sunday.
"I didn't want to stay at home," Mitchell said.
Contributing Writer Dave Canton contributed to this story.
