WESTFIELD – Emergency response crews and local organizations continue to work to recover from the devastating October storm that dumped nearly a foot of heavy wet snow on the area.
Power crews continue to work around the clock to restore electrical service as many residents, without power since Saturday, continue to deal with the lack of heat.
The Westfield Gas & Electric Department anticipates that power will be restored to 80 percent of the city today, and that by the weekend, fully restored.
“Today should be a very productive day,” Sean Fitzgerald of the WG&E said this morning. “We have 15 to 18 crews out working now and additional crews are coming down from Canada today. The crews have been doing an amazing job.”
Fitzgerald said that power restoration was hampered by the downed trees and limbs.
“We had to get the trees out of the way to get to the power lines, which has been done. We have additional tree clearing crews working today, so we anticipate that we will make real progress,” he said. “After the main lines are restored we will begin restoring service lines to individual houses. There are 600 service lines down, so those will be the next priority.”
Public Works Director Jim Mulvenna said this morning that most streets in the city have been cleared of downed trees and limbs, but that cutting crews will continue that effort again today.
“At least the weather is cooperating,” Mulvenna said. “We made a lot of headway Tuesday and will keep right on going today to clear brush. Most streets are open, but motorists have to zig-zag on some streets.”
The DPW trash and recycling crews have been providing those services, although some trees are still blocked by low hanging wires that the trucks cannot maneuver around.
“If we miss anybody, we’ll have a crew out Saturday to get those residents,” Mulvenna said.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said Tuesday afternoon that clearing streets for emergency vehicles and to facilitate access by power crews remains the city’s primary focus.
“Our first priority is to get the tree debris off the streets,” he said. “Every street in the city has problems.”
“The cost of this storm is going to be brutal, but we, fortunately, are in a good financial position,” Knapik said. “I may request the City Council (Thursday night) to authorize (deficit) spending under the present emergency declaration. We have a lot of private contractors working for the city in response to this disaster, small companies that don’t have the cash reserves to wait for several months for payment.”
A number of city departments, Department of Public Works and the Police Department in particular, which are incurring expenses, basically for additional manpower, that will be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursements, a process that can take months.
“We just got a FEMA check for the January blizzard, $109,000, that we can apply toward this storm recovery,” Knapik said.
Knapik also extended property tax payments until Friday, Nov. 4, because the storm wreaked havoc on financial networks, as well as the city’s transportation system.
The Westfield Public School have been closed through the remainder of the week because many of the school buildings are still without power and heat.
The Westfield Emergency Management Department has established a shelter for residents seeking relief from the frigid temperatures, and the YMCA has opened its doors for residents to take hot showers. The YMCA is open to all residents between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.
City police officers and firefighters continue to make well-being checks, forcing several doors open and transporting residents to either Noble Hospital for medical treatment, or to the emergency shelter at Juniper Park Elementary School at Westfield State University, which is providing electrical power and meals for shelter occupants.
Firefighters also responded to several carbon monoxide alarms as residents attempt to find alternative means of heating their homes. Deputy Fire Chief Jim Kane said that some residents have positioned power generators too close to their houses.
“If the generator is too close, the fumes can be drawn inside the house,” Kane said. “Another source of carbon monoxide are kerosene space heaters and charcoal, which should not be used in a closed structure because they eat oxygen and produce fumes with carbon monoxide.
The Westfield Gas and Electric Department is updating their website at www.wgeld.org throughout the day. Click on “Strom Updates” at the bottom right corner of the home page for a current list of crew location and restorations.
