Friday, August 31, 2012
A year after the storm hit, what lessons did New England learn from Tropical Storm Irene passing through?
It has been almost a year after Tropical Storm Irene hit New England, leaving trees and power lines down, and many without power. Earlier this month, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced that she is seeking to fine NStar $9.7 million for "failed responses" in both Irene and "Snowtober" (which NStar has challenged). Nstar released a statement on the same day disagreeing with Coakley's assessment, saying that "Nstar Electric customers fared better than others in Massachusetts and throughout New England." In the statement, Werner Schweiger, President of NSTAR Electric said that all storms are opportunities to "identify areas of improvement," but that "we have not reached a stage where technology is resistant to storm damage.” So, what …
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Many Burlington customers were without power for many days following these weather events in 2011. Does a potential $9.7 million fine for Nstar ease the pain?
Attorney General Martha Coakley's Office is seeking a $9.7 million fine after an investigation revealed Nstar "failed to adequately prepare, respond, and communicate during Tropical Storm Irene and the October 2011 snowstorm." The recommended fine breaks down to slightly more than $4 million for Nstar’s response to the October 2011 snowstorm and $5.7 million for Tropical Storm Irene, according to a press release. The AGO filed a brief Aug. 7, with the state's Department of Public Utilities, which has the authority to levy the fine. According to the AGO investigation, Nstar fell short of its state-required Emergency Response Plan obligations. In particular, Nstar failed “Nstar’s preparation for these storms was woefully inadequate and much …
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
A reader-submitted picture of a downed tree.
For today's Patch Snap we look at some more damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene. These pictures were sent in by reader Denny Jones, who said she heard the tree fall during the storm. "I was printing something from the computer when I heard a crash, I ran to the window and screamed 'our tree just fell in front of our house' and it was literally right in front of my eyes beneath the window," she wrote. "I and my family were in a panic as it took down live wires from our home and the telephone pole."
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Local damage from tropical storm Irene
Residents are still feeling the effects from Irene and there is still clean-up to be done. Photographer Donna DeSimone went out on Monday and Tuesday following the storm and collected these images of its damaging effects. If you have post-storm photos of Irene's damage, feel free to add them to the gallery. Just let everyone know where they were taken in town.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The utility company reports there are 407 known Burlington customers still in the dark.
Residents in Burlington are still feeling the effects of Irene, and unfortunately may continue to do so until the end of the week. NSTAR reported today that due to widespread damage to the system, there are still 84,000 customers without power. In Burlington, NSTAR reports, there are 407 customers without power following Irene. Today, the utility company released estimated timeframes for restoring power in each community. The statement said all Burlington customers should be back up no later than 10:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2. "Crews will continue working around the clock until all customers are restored; concentrating first on making the repairs that will benefit the largest number of customers," NSTAR reported. "Due to the extent of …
Monday, August 29, 2011
A video roundup of the area's latest developments for Monday, Aug. 29.
Follow the links below for more on today's featured headlines:
Guidelines from the USDA.
For those Burlington residents who lost their power on Sunday as the result of Tropical Storm Irene passing through town, and still remain without power, how long is the food stored in your refrigerator or freezer still safe to eat before you have to discard it? The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service prepared a fact sheet for keeping food safe during an emergency, including losing power. The USDA says to "keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature." But, the refrigerator will only keep food safely cold for about four hours if unopened during a power outage, according to the USDA. A full freezer will hold the temperature for about 48 hours if full (24 hours of half full), the …
The Fox Hill area is largely in the dark, as are pockets throughout town.
Though the storm has passed and the sun is shining today, some residents in Burlington are still feeling the effects of Irene. Assistant Chief Michael Patterson of the Burlington Fire Department said this afternoon that there are still residents without power. He said the largest section of town in the dark is the Fox Hill area but said downed wires and tree limbs have caused outages in smaller pockets all around town. Patterson said department members received calls concerning arching wires and down trees through this morning. "We were busy this morning with downed branches and arching wire calls but it's slowed down now," he said. "We're almost back to normal business now." Utility crews are out working on restoring power today, …
Answer today's question in the Comments section below.
While there were no cars floating down the streets of Burlington yesterday, there was definitely enough rain to cause some flooding and enough wind to snap tree limbs. Some may have to spend hours putting their yard back together while others may only have some leaves and twigs to rake up. So what we want to know today is: Do you have a lot to clean up after Irene? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Out-of-pocket costs often higher for hurricanes than other kinds of damage.
Massachusetts residents whose property is damaged by Hurricane Irene may discover they’ll be paying more for repairs than expected. The Associated Press reports that most homeowner insurance policies include a deductible that’s typically $500 to $1,000, but out-of-pocket expenses for hurricane damages can be much higher. “In 18 states on the East and Gulf coasts, insurers are allowed to include hurricane deductibles in homeowners policies," the AP reported. "These amounts apply only to hurricane-caused damage, and typically range from 1 percent to 5 percent of the insured value of a home. Deductibles may be higher in some coastal areas. For example, a policyholder whose home is insured for $200,000 with a 2 percent hurricane deductible …
Sharleen
10:51 pm on Tuesday, August 30, 2011
It should be fine by now. Nearby Princeton Rd never lost it, and I know Fernglade (a few blocks away) had power restored this morning. more ›