By GAIL LOWE
FOUR UTILITY POLES owned by the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department reportedly went down during the night on Forest Street due to the storm’s gusty winds. Sixty homes in the area were left without power. (Gail Lowe Photo)
WAKEFIELD — A nor’easter that got its start yesterday blew through Wakefield overnight, bringing with it gusty winds and torrential rain that soaked then helped clog some local roadways.
Yesterday’s police log was filled with calls about debris on town streets, wires down and giant puddles that caused vehicles to stop in their tracks.
On Robert Street, a tree went through a house, said Department of Public Works Director Rick Stinson.
He also said that the town has 3,000 catch basins, and many are clogged with fallen leaves, resulting in flooding. New Salem Street, Stinson said, is blocked off.
Stinson asked that homeowners clear the catch basins to help with the DPW crew effort.
Pete Dion, general manager of the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department, said that 60 homes were without power in the Forest Street neighborhood in Greenwood following the toppling of four utility poles when winds were at their highest around 1 a.m. Dion said power would be restored there by midday.
The storm is expected to ease off sometime today.
The first call to the Police Station was logged at 10:45 a.m. when a tree limb took down wires on Elm Street. A second call came in just after noon from a resident of Morrison Road West where a tree went down on wires.
At about 4:30 p.m., a tree branch interfered with wires on Harwick Road. The Fire Department was notified about the incident. Wires were also reported down at Nahant and Valley streets at 6 p.m., and again at 6:50 p.m. on Avon Street.
Debris in roadways were reported at Green Street and Shady Avenue at 4:35 p.m., Salem Street and Montrose Avenue at 6:40 p.m., Broadway and Sylvan Avenue at 6:05 p.m., Aborn Avenue at about 7:10 p.m., Evergreen Street at about 7:15 p.m., Park Avenue and Chestnut Street at 7:15 p.m., Madison Avenue at about 7:20 p.m., Old Nahant Road at 7:20 p.m. where a tree reportedly went into a house, Winnisimett and Quannapowitt avenues at 7:50 p.m., Prospect and Hopkins street at 7:55 p.m., Park Street at 8:45 p.m., Maple Way at about 8:30 p.m., Newell Road at 9:50 p.m., Park Street at about 10:30 p.m., Greenwood Street at 11:15 p.m. and Thistledale Road at 11:45 p.m.
Today, multiple calls came in around midnight about a light pole that had fallen across the roadway on Forest Street and a driver reported at 1:45 a.m. that her vehicle got stuck in a puddle at Nahant and Franklin streets and started smoking.
