Effie Orfanides/Heavy
Locals and renters in parts of Dennis, Chatham, Yarmouth, Harwich, Sandwich, Barnstable, Brewster, and Mashpee have been wondering when the power will be back on following the severe weather that swept through the area. At least two tornadoes touched down in Cape Cod in a 24-hour period, from Monday evening through Tuesday afternoon, leaving thousands of people without power.
The tornadoes, which have been categorized as EF-1, brought with them wind gusts of 110 miles per hour in some areas. The intense winds, which lasted about six minutes, were responsible for the majority of the damage, including downed power lines, trees, and telephone poles. Damage to houses and cars was minimal — for the most part — except in the hardest-hit areas, where windows were shattered and roofs were damaged. Several large trees were uprooted, some blocking roadways or interfering with power lines.
The electric company responsible for most of the service in the affected areas is Eversource. A phone operator at the company’s call center told Heavy that there was not an estimate for power to be restored in most areas. Folks on the Cape are welcome to call Eversource and the company will take down a phone number to send out an automated message when there is an update.
As of Wednesday morning at 5 a.m. Eastern, there were approximately 30,000 customers without power, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).
Here’s what you need to know:
Eversource Trucks Are in the Area & There’s an Outage Map Available Online
Effie Orfanides/HeavyA tree is West Dennis, Massachusetts, took down power lines and blocked a side street.
A ride down Route 28 in Yarmouth, Dennis, and Harwich on Tuesday afternoon didn’t show much promise when it came to power restoration; not one Eversource truck was seen working on lines in the area.
However, several Eversource trucks were seen on the highway heading toward the Cape around 7 p.m. local time last night.
Many remote areas that aren’t close to main roads (such as homes located close to the water) don’t appear to even be assessed at this time. With rain moving in overnight and lingering this morning, it seems as though repairs may have been delayed.
If you are looking to see outages in your area, you can access Eversource’s Outage Map by clicking here. You may notice, however, that many areas do not have outages marked. This does not mean that the outage has not been reported, however. It simply means that crews have not been to the area to access the situation. Many fear that the power will be out for several days.
For many people in the area, accessing the internet has become near impossible. Despite a brief interruption in cell service immediately following the storm, many people are reporting the inability to access the internet. This could be due to the fact that so many people are using data rather than WiFi, causing a massive slow-down. If you are unable to access the internet, a call to Eversource is encouraged. By doing so, you can be sure to get any updates directly to your cell phone without having to go on the web.
Tree Companies Are in the Area & Bulldozers Have Been Pushing Trees off the Roads
The first order of business for Cape Cod is safety.
Wires that have been hanging across streets have been moved to the side and you may see that live wires have been marked by a yellow tag. Numerous gas leaks have also been reported, keeping the fire department busy.
While police have asked people to stay off the roads, the traffic has been backed up for miles. People seem to want to get out and explore — some trying to find a place to eat and others trying to check out the damage. Others, presumably, decided to cut their vacation short and leave town. Thankfully, traffic on the main highways and over the bridges has been minimal.
Several bulldozers were seen in the area on Tuesday, pushing trees out of roadways. Some locals have taken matters into their own hands, grabbing chainsaws and working together to chop up large branches and help clear the roads.
Dozens of trucks belonging to tree companies were seen in Cape Cod yesterday, prepared for a long week ahead.
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