Utility crews make quick progress along South Shore day after thousands lose power during rain storm

SCITUATE, Mass. — For the last day, bags of ice saved food on the South Shore from spoiling.

“We sell a lot of ice here for people putting ice into coolers,” said Danielle Shepherd, who works at the Norwell Package and General Store.

The uncertainty of just when power would turn on was unsettling.

“Initially it said Friday, then it said Thursday at noon. Even until it came on it said tomorrow at noon. So, it came on earlier than we expected,” she said.

Utility crews provided an early holiday gift. Despite estimates of days without power, crews were able to get the lights back on in some towns on Tuesday evening after Monday’s massive windstorm.

“That’s good, I feel like they tend to overestimate which is a good thing because you get it back early and you’re kind of happy about that,” said Lynne Partridge of Scituate.

In nearby Hanover however, the wind took out more than power.

“It went directly into the house,” said John Downs of Hanover. A tree toppled over and crashed into Downs’s house on Monday.

Utility crews make quick progress along South Shore day after thousands lose power during rain storm

Downs said he had just left for the gym, telling Boston 25 Reporter Bob Ward that his now destroyed kitchen is where his family gathers. Luckily, no one was home and no one was hurt. Still, it’s frustrating just before the holidays.

“Definitely not something we planned 7 days before Christmas,” said Downs.

Crews removed the tree late Tuesday.

“They were able to remove all the shrubs outside and all the clutter and the massive tree that was in my kitchen,” he said.

And the family will be out for months as repairs are made.

But there is a silver lining for parents in Hanover, Norwell, and Scituate where schools were closed on Tuesday.

“They were off today/ tomorrow? School is on tomorrow, thankfully,” said Shepherd.

Wednesday morning 97% of power was back on in Scituate and 72% in neighboring Norwell, beating earlier assessments of power restoration by days. The rapid turnaround is a testament to the hard work utility crews are doing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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