Power Restoration Main Focus in Barnstable County
BARNSTABLE (MA) March 3, 2018 – At its 10 a.m. March 3, 2018, conference call, the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC) assessed the aftermath of Storm Riley and weighed the necessity of activating the Regional Shelter System.
As of 10:30 a.m. Saturday there were approximately 98,000 without power on Cape Cod with Falmouth and Barnstable being the hardest hit.
The electric utility Eversource has brought in additional tree and line crews to work on restoration. Hospitals and assisted-care facilities are given top priority. Main lines along the major roadways will be restored first where the maximum number of people can be restored at one time. Eversource and communications provider Verizon are coordinating on the replacement of downed and damaged utility poles. Eversource recommends that people plan for multiple days without power.
The storm is pulling away and the winds will slowly abate though gusty conditions will persist throughout the day. Fortunately, the temperatures will remain above freezing for the next few days.
The Barnstable County Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC) under the management of the Barnstable County All Hazards Incident Management Team is focusing its efforts on working with localities and the utilities in power restoration efforts.
A decision on the need to activate the Regional Shelter system will be made by mid-afternoon Saturday. Any citizen who needs immediate assistance should contact their local police or fire department.
If they have not already done so, anyone without power should call Eversource at 1-800-592-2000 to report the outage.
- In the event of a downed wire, always remain at least 10 feet away, assume the wire is live, and call 911 and Eversource immediately.
- If you use a generator, follow all safety precautions provided by the manufacturer.
- If you smell gas, leave immediately and call 911.
