Methuen continues to suffer widespread power outages, with restorations coming slowly but surely. National Grid has mobilized a large workforce to deal with downed trees and power lines that impacted us so severely yesterday. I have declared a State of Emergency locally, and our Emergency Management Operations Center is up and running at the Methuen Fire Department. If you are told that you need an electrical inspector to have your power restored please call 978-983-8930 and we will make those arrangements. Methuen will have crews out starting this morning to clear debris from our roadways and other areas. For those that have fallen trees that may be tangled up with power lines please DO NOT touch the tree or lines. Please do not attempt to move or touch any electrical lines that may be down in your neighborhood.

With power off yesterday at the Methuen Housing Authority I ordered the mandatory evacuation of the Mystic Street and Edgewood Avenue elederly units. Those folks have spent the night at our shelter at the Comprehensive Grammar School, 100 Howe Street. That shelter is open to the public for those who may need it. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority, who provided the buses needed to bring our citizens from Mystic and Edgewood over to the CGS. My appreciation to those who manned the Operations Center, who worked without stop yesterday. Our DPW Director Raymond Difiore and his crew worked around the clock to clear our roads, make sure that our pump stations continued to work without power, and to keep our buildings safe. Our DPW never ceases to amaze me, and they continue to work around the clock to correct the damage done by this storm. My thanks to Chief Katherine Lavigne and the Methuen Police Department, who did a great job, as did Fire Chief Gallant and his team.

I will continue to talk with National Grid today as they work to restore power in Methuen and the surrounding communities. I will participate in a conference call with them at 3:00 p.m. for an update on what has been done, and what can be expected for those that remain without power. Please call 978-983-8930 if you have any questions, or if you need assistance. I will make further reports on this blog as I receive relevant information, as my home has just received power back as of 5:00 a.m. this morning.