National Grid has made progress in restoring power to Southborough residents, but three days after an unusual October snow storm, 285 homes and businesses are still without power.
According to the National Grid website, a single outage in the Parkerville Road south area is affecting 174 customers. Another outage along Atwood Road has 56 in the dark. The remainder are isolated and scattered outages, each affecting on a couple of homes in various parts of town.
Late last night, National Grid reported only 108 customers in Southborough were without power, but several commenters questioned the accuracy of those numbers. The map has since been updated to the current 285 number.
Most of the 3,700 customers who lost power after this weekend’s snow storm saw service return late on Monday. The utility estimates power will be fully restored by end of day Thursday.
Here’s the latest outage map. You can view an interactive version here.
Update 11:00 am: National Grid now says 616 are without power in Southborough. Given the anecdotal reports I’m hearing on Twitter and Facebook, I suspect that’s closer to the truth. Large outages are reported on Parkerville Road south and its side streets, Atwood Road, and Breakneck Hill and its side streets. I’ve updated the outage map above.
Update 5:00 pm: Town Administrator Jean Kitchen tells me five National Grid crews are working on Parkerville Road (south). The line is free, but there is a broken pole at Summit Drive. Power cannot be turned on until the pole is fixed, but there’s not ETA for when that will happen. Atwood Road is reportedly back on, and the total number without power has dropped slightly to 593.
Does anyone know how National Grid prioritizes what area of town is going to be serviced first?
I notice that the South side of town usually get the power last. If memory serves that was the last area to resume power after the hurricane. Is it due to being closer to the town lines?
It certainly was a frustrating couple of days. Power was restored to my Oak Hill residence last evening. It seems that the downed tree and poll on Route 30 was the culprit. I saw them clearing the tree and literally 15 minutes later, I had power again.
Obviously, they had a lot of work, but you would have thought the Route 30 fix would have been a quick one.
It looks like from the map that the largest single area with customers still affected in Southborough is the parkerville/middle/mount vickery area. But the site says that is targeted to be resolved by Thursday (which is what it says for everybody in town). I’m assuming they are just being conservative, but it would nice if they had some accuracy to their time estimates so folks could plan accordinly. Being down for two more days is very different from being down one or less days. If they seriously aren’t going to have the highest priority area back up for 2 more days, then that’s a big issue. (I of course live in this area)
Lines are down in front of my house and still no sign of National Grid. They did clear the trees that were hanging off the lines yesterday; but now the lines remain on the floor (as well as the wood.)
Let me be more specific: the tree split in half with one side falling on the lines (street-side) and the other side about the fall on the lines attached to my house (house-side.) They’ve only cleared the side sitting on the line. Which has me concerned as they’ve created a higher risk of the other side crashing down on the house-side lines and poses danger to my family.
I realize that NG is busy, but I disagree with their decision on what to cut and am appalled at the delay of re-connection. We’ve contacted them a few times with no sense of status.
Recovered power at around 6ish tonight, so I’m grateful to be warm again. The contractors who were working for NatGrid were great. Very helpful and down to earth. Not sure of the company name.
But within the past hour I’ve heard a few booms along with flashes, so I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet. Sounds like there might be some surging happening around town.
Rumor has it Skylar might have been impacted.
Emergency flashlights by the bedside and extra blankets for the whole family on deck…and fingers crossed.
Parkerville is down around #193. Those poor folks can’t even get out of their driveway yet. First the tree was there, now the wires are all over. I can’t image not even being able to run to the store, or out for dinner to get warm. I hope they managed to make it out somehow.
It was weird yesterday – some news camera crews were in town. Once they left, the crews mysteriously disappeared. They did not work overnight. I guess they don’t want to pay overtime.
And yes there does seem to be a pattern around the south side getting restored last. It’s been that way for at least the last 10 years I’ve lived in Southborough (in two separate neighborhoods on the south side).
We lived at 193 Parkerville Road for 30 years. I totally agree with the south side vs north side comments!
Well,
I just drove down Parkerville. Day 3 and I still have yet to see any Nstar trucks any where near where the lines down. Has any body else seen anything more than a tree removal vehicle there?
Yesterday morning was such a huge tease to see them cut the tree away and then leave the wires down. UUUUggghh!
As far as I know there are no falling trees or broken lines on Atwood Street at this moment. Wonder what preventing NG to restore power there.
Nation Grid union crews stick to 8am to 5pm schedule. Grrrrrrr.
Never heard that one before. I’d like to see your evidence.
My eyes tell me crews are working at all hours. On Saturday, my power was briefly restored at 10:00 p.m., so someone was working then.
The line workers are probably getting overtime, and they should be.
Sightings:
– 5:15 at White-Bagley and Rte. 9
– 7:50 at Parkerville and Rte. 9
My conclusion is that the alleged problem with union rules is a falsehood.
Does any one know abour Power on Breakneck Hill Road?
We cannot keep our kids in a house without power, heat, and now, all the food is bad. Since many in our same area/situation have left Southborough, I wonder if they will have school tomorrow (hope not) given that there are still some in town that cannot live in their homes. Seems unfair that our kids have to miss school because our area is last to be restored.
We all have a responsibility to report power outages so that National Grid can assess the situation. Some people I have spoken to think that National Grid can detect where the outages are, but that’s only true when power is flowing through substations and major feeders. After a storm like this that takes down lines everywhere and causes transformer and substation damage, the system generally can’t detect that a line in your street or on your property is down. I logged an outage on Sunday morning in my street and 8 hours later the number of affected customers in my street and neighboring streets was still only 5. I know it’s hard to get through on the phone lines, but it’s a little easier to log an outage via the web if you have a smart phone, or a laptop and a FiOS connection.
National Grid should get smarter and allow fault reports via SMS. That way, many more people could supply timely info about outages so a better assessment can be made more quickly and resources could be assigned more efficiently.
National Grid should also do a better job of providing real-time updates via SMS and Twitter or Facebook explaining what the crews are working on in every town. If people could see the priorities of major transmission lines, substations, feeders, hospitals and emergency services, nursing homes, etc. being addressed they might understand why their house isn’t the top priority..
Lastly, what did each of us do to prepare? Did we ensure that we had a full tank of gas, that we had water (if running off well water), that we had emergency lighting and a way to keep warm? Do we have cash for buying food if the local store can’t handle a credit card? If we need electricity for septic tanks or wells, what did we do after outages caused by hurricane Irene? Did we invest in a generator? I see a lot of people criticizing National Grid for not being prepared for the storm, but did we do everything we should have?
Recreation recently offered a Preparedness Course but had to cancel due to low enrollment. We would be happy to offer it again if folks are interested. http://www.southboroughrecreation.com/tap_top.html
Granuaile Road got power about an hour ago!
NG site now reports 1437 customers affected in Southborough.
Woodland Road South of Turnpike…still w/o power (as of 1 hr ago).
Does this level of restoration mean school is on for tomorrow?
Peter-
All valid questions.
I can tell you from my end, I was prepared. Water, food, etc. But no heat with two kids and 20 degrees at night- not gonna happen. And no generators to be found. I have had one on order since the last storm in Aug- and the order is still not filled.
And no hotel rooms available. I was lucky in that we have family close enough and we were able to go to their house.
I did file a Natl Grid outage Sunday morning.
Keep in mind that not all of us have land line phones, as it’s cheaper to have VOIP or live with one cell phone.
I’m not speaking for myself personally, but I know of several families in Southborough who do not have unlimited funds to buy all the latest preparedness gadgets. Some people just have enough to pay their rent or mortgage and buy food for their kids. Not everyone has the newest smartphone to log their outage.
All that said, what I am appalled by is the Natl Grid is doing nothing, no trucks to be found, and I will certainly criticize that. They showed up for the camera crews on the 5pm news yesterday, but then were quickly gone.
If I can pay my bill on time, then how about some service? I can understand when the power goes out for a few hours or maybe a day, stuff happens, you live through it. But some people have been without power since Saturday. This is not a third world country, and this company makes a profit. Their customer service is totally unacceptable!
On the South side of town- which ironically has proportionally more lower priced homes- we went through the same thing in August. In August when I reported the outage I got regular updates from Natl Grid on my cell phone number.
Nothing this time, zero, zlitch.
We have absolutely no idea when power will be restored, other than the final date of Thursday. It outrageous to have this poor level of customer service for 6 inches of snow.
The other thing, many towns that have competing vendors are starting to get underground lines to avoid this type of situation. Natl Grid has not made that level of investment in our town. Why?
And why are trees in general not being tended to? Homeowners need to trim their trees, as does the town when the tree is on town controlled property. I live on a wooded street and the tree warden came by about a year ago, marked a few trees, and they where never taken down. Why is that?
I agree that people should be held accountable for their own preparedness. But the town and Natl Grid also need to take some accountability here. We pay taxes, we pay our electric bills. And at least for the electric, service is not available when expected. If I could, I would FIRE them, but I can’t as it’s a monopoly. It’s like having a bad employee that you can’t get rid of. :)
I think we as a town should seriously consider a contract with a new and competing company.
Finally, it would be nice to do some true analysis on why the South side appears to lag behind in service. That is the only way it can be fixed.
I, for one, would like to understand what algorithm or selection matrix is used in making decisions on which areas gets higher priority. Population density? infrastructure? or something else?
Atwood Street is on now.
Any updates on situation on Summit road off Parkerville road?
Town Administrator Jean Kitchen tells me five National Grid crews are working on Parkerville Road (south). The line is free, but there is a broken pole at Summit Drive. Power cannot be turned on until the pole is fixed, but there’s not ETA for when that will happen.
Thanks…
Just to put things into perspective…
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/11/19-million-without-power-after-early-snow-storm-rocks-northeast.html
I’m thankful that a tree didn’t hit my house and crack open the roof like what happened to a neighbor. I’m thankful I have a generator that has prevented the basement from flooding and kept our food safely refrigerated. I’m thankful I’ve had many friends and family offer their homes/showers/coffee to me. I’m am trying to keep it in perspective that it has only been three days. Hoping for lights tonight, but not too highly for fear of frigid disappointment.
I considered myself very fortunate to have had hot water and a working gas stove during the almost 45 hours I was without power. I considered myself fortunate to have had a cooler that I could pack some snow into zippered bags, and store my refrigerated / frozen perishables outside overnight to keep from losing anything (save for a bit of ice cream and a couple slices of swiss cheese from the deli). I considered myself very fortunate that the temps never got below 50 degrees inside my house through Sunday evening, and only down to 43 during all of Monday, and that I had ample blankets and sweatshirts to ride out the chill. I considered myself very fortunate to be self-sufficient and without needing to care for anyone but myself and my rabbit (he was a real trooper). I considered myself most fortunate to have my power restored yesterday evening, just in time to nuke a hot meal I had prepared the day before so I wouldn’t lose the fresh hamburger I had just bought before I lost power, throw in a couple loads of laundry, and fire up my computer to get back in touch with the rest of the world.
The perspective I was lacking through it all was just how widespread the damage was. I have not levied any criticism towards anyone throughout this latest ordeal, nor the last one, but I surely was surprised to see the above numbers in terms of storm-related problems. I knew Massachusetts had been hit hard, but I wasn’t watching the news when I lost power, so I was completely unaware the extent the storm had wreaked havoc. I’m sure many others would be just as surprised – thus my comment on perspective. It wasn’t meant as a jab at anyone, just a little bit of news to put the magnitude of this storm into light. Perhaps some of the more vocal critics will take that into consideration before they raise their voices too harshly, perhaps not – not my place to judge.
In any event, I sympathize / empathize with those who are still without power, and hope services are restored quickly for everyone. This certainly is not the time of year where you want to be left without electricity or heat. I’m sure we’re all willing to lend a hand to neighbors in need – after all, it’s part of what makes this town so wonderful: our sense of community.
All residents on clemmons street are still out of power.
I think we should petition our town to check the feasibility of having a different provider for our town – or atleast have another competitor like NSTAR instead of just having national grid.
Could not agree more. Nothing like a little competition. Beats additional regulations which usually do nothing but just increase costs.
So whose responsibility is it to trim the trees around power lines? the power companies or the town? I don’t know the answer….but if it’s the town, then what are the logistics of setting up some sort of “tree trimming/removal fund” for our town? It sounds like (from a previous post) some trees were earmarked for this but weren’t taken down or trimmed–I’m assuming due to lack of funds. Trimming branches is expensive b/c of the man/womanpower it takes to both do the trimming and the police detail on the roads, but what if the townspeople who were interested were able to contribute money specifically earmarked for this purpose? –if it’s the town’s responsibility in the first place, that is.
Good question- I don’t know that either. I just saw the tree warden come by and had talked with him that day. He marked the trees to go with orange paint, and no one ever came back.
Certainly as homeowners, if it’s far enough away from the power lines and on our properties, if the tree is in a known weakened condition and we do nothing about it, technically we can get fined for for the cost of repair for not taking care of the tree if it takes out power lines. Not sure if Natl Grid ever enforces that.
I saw several Asplundh Tree trucks in town today from Alabama! Yikes! That’s a long way to travel to help out.
Jim-
Perhaps we all need to keep this in mind- a lot of people have come a long way to help us- leaving their families to help ours. It’s awful not to have power- especially for folks like me with two small babies. But, I’ll take 4 days (and counting!) of flashlight tag and bland peanut butter sandwiches over working on high voltage wires any day.
We’re lucky to live in a place that sends help. We are inconvenience and uncomfortable- but it could be a lot worse and for a lot longer.
3rd Generation-
I totally agree with you. I didn’t mean for my comment to be disrespectful but rather to show my amazement at how far help has come. Its more than a 1,000 drive to Alabama!
And some of the poor folks in western Mass still have n power and they took the brunt of those tornadoes!
I am fortunate and grateful.
Breakneck Hill and Woodland came on within the past hour. Finally.
What a bunch of complainers!!! Im sure everyone has been working hard to get your lights on for you! There are only so many people that can get here to help out. How about a little patients everyone! Yes the south side does get power last, cause that is where we are on the grid. Not much else you can do but wait OR move! Suck it up! My lights just came on last night so I was in the dark for a while too! It could of been alot worse folks! Be thankful!
Well, yah, Townie D…and why shouldn’t we complain, especially among friends here on this board? It was a major inconvenience, (and I use the word “was” advisedly, as I fear some of my friends are STILL without power), and one we’ve suffered through twice in a few short months.
I am thankful, btw. I’m thankful that it seems nobody from our community got hurt, thankful that there wasn’t a nasty cold snap that followed the outage, thankful that many folks offered showers, shelter, and even soup (Thank you Culinary Underground!!)…
Still, moving forward, we need to figure out how to attend to these inevitable weather events. We have an aging grid infrastructure and an increasing reliance upon it.
So, kvetch away! I made a trip to the Transfer Station this morning, where I tossed a bunch of freezer items I had just replenished from Hurricane Irene…gah!
Power is on at Summit Road. Atleast it was an hour back when I was at home. Hopefully we will not lose it again like last night
National Grid UNION workers are working 18 hours on, 6 hours off, I should know I haven’t seen my husband since Saturday at 4pm. Don’t blame the workers.
Karen, here here! Also, the last thing we want is for someone involved with the restoration–whether Nat Grid or Public Safety worker–to make a mistake due to lack of sleep. It’s an awful situation, and we ought to lean on our elected officials to figure out how to make it better moving forward. Are lengthy power outages on the increase? Sure seems so.
Are there any ice houses around for us to buy blocks of ice, to keep in an ice chest at home, a real one old fashioned ice chest. My Nana had one. Refrigerators weren’t around yet.I forgot how long the ice lasts but she lived that way for many years. We may have a need for them again.
Ruth,
Good thought! Another consideration is that today’s refrigerators are actually pretty well insulated. Bags of ice can be effective at maintaining refrigeration for a couple of days at least as verified by my fridge thermometer. I had refrigerator temperature readings of 35 degrees which is actually on the cold side. By buying enough bagged ice to pack throughout the air spaces, I did not lose anything in the refrigerator after the two storms, both three day outages for me. The freezer is tougher. For instance, the ice cream melted but the frozen shrimp in the back was still frozen solid with that strategy. I had items to discard but it could have been worse.
I had to break down some of the ice bags into 1 gallon bags to effectively pack everywhere. Eventually there was some leaking from the melting ice but it was manageable. I probably spent about $50+ for the ice each time and it was worthwhile in my view.