As storm washes away, utility providers say power restoration may take multiple days

A day after heavy winds and rain swept through MetroWest and Greater Milford, several area communities were still dealing with its aftermath, as efforts to completely restore power in Massachusetts could take multiple days, utility providers warn.

As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, more than 64% of Millis households were still without power. At one point on Monday, it was 94%.

Due to the power outages, Millis Public Schools were canceled on Tuesday.

"Please be advised that most Millis residents don’t have power at this time, including the center of town," Police Chief Christopher Soffayer said in a prepared statement. "Traffic lights are not operational at this time. Route 109/115 has been converted into a four-way stop. Please plan for additional travel time, expect delays. In addition, we still have a large amount of trees and wires down, with roadways impassable. Currently, Dover Road at the Medfield line, Village Street between Forest and Spring, Causeway at Grove, Congress Street and Acorn Street."

Along with power outages, a tree came down on one home, several wires were down, and several roads were closed in Millis.

"Millis has been hit pretty hard," Soffayer said Monday.

According to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, as of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, nearly 120,000 households statewide were without power.

Besides Millis, other nearby communities with a significant number of power outages included Millville (60% of households), Weston (32%), Sherborn (25%) and Bellingham (24%).

Pre-Revolutionary War home in Sherborn is damaged

A historic home in Sherborn was among those damaged in the storm. The two-story home, at 140 Maple St., had a tree fall on the corner of its roof Monday morning.

Owner Kim Morrow said the tree remained on the home as of Tuesday morning.

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"The damage seems to be mostly to one corner of the house," she said. "We have to get the tree out of there. It's going to need a fair amount of work."

The home was built around 1775 by Eleazer Leland, son of Deacon William of the "Old Red House" on Hollis Street, according to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.

"To the north of the house are great ledges spoken of in old deeds as Rattlesnake Castle," historical property records state. "To the left of the house, at the foot of the hill, runs the beginning of Dirty Meadow Brook. No longer extant are the farm's many utility buildings which included barns, storage houses and a carriage house. The farm buildings were located directly across the street where Old Orchard Road now begins; the 'hand-dug' pond on the same side provided the water for the farm animals."

Morrow said that along with the damage to the house, a fence was also knocked down and the driveway was damaged. The home's oil fill pipe is covered by debris and inaccessible. But the house is habitable, she said.

"It didn't break one piece of glass on the house, if you can believe it," Morrow said. "It could have been a lot worse. I had just left the house when my uncle called and said, 'We have a problem.' We're very lucky."

In Upton, due to the volume of rain, the Water Department said partially treated sewage is being discharged into an unnamed tributary of the West River.

"The Wastewater Division estimates that 100,000 gallons of partially treated sewage has been discharged so far," according to a press release from the town. The Water Department recommends that no one have contact with the water for 48 hours after the discharge is complete due to increased health risks and bacteria in the water.

Hopkinton schools release students early due to power outages

Hopkinton had more than 1,700 power outages as of 4 p.m. Monday. Outages included Hopkinton High School, Hopkinton Middle School and the Hopkins Elementary School, Police Chief Joseph Bennett said.

Because of that, all Hopkinton schools had an early release of noon, he said. Schools reopened on Tuesday.

"We've had a significant amount of trees down," Bennett said. "We had one tree on a house, on Lumbar Street."

The house was structurally sound, and its residents were allowed to stay, although there was a hole in the roof, he said.

Portions of several roads in Framingham were closed due to downed wires or trees, according to Framingham police. They included portions of Badger Road, Grove Street, Michael Road, Potter Road and Salem End Road.

There was also a lightning strike in the area of Route 9 at about 9 p.m. Sunday, according to Framingham Fire Chief Michael Dutcher.

"The only area affected was a large apartment complex, at 1640 Worcester Road," he said. "There was a power surge that caused multiple fire alarm devices to activate. Fortunately, we were able to determine no issues and reset the fire alarm system. No other buildings in the complex were affected."

Trees, wires down in Southborough, Holliston and Franklin

The Southborough Police Department said portions of Garrison Street were closed for part of the day due a tree coming down. Pine Hill Road was down to one lane for the same reason.

Holliston had several trees and wires down, closing portions of Prentice Street, Little Road and Winter Street.

Franklin also had the same issues, with portions of Daniels, Green, Lincoln, Oak Pleasant and Washington streets being closed due to storm damage.

Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino said the town appeared to have fewer problems than others. As of 4 p.m., there were a little more than 600 customers without power, according to National Grid.

"Milford has been lucky thus far, some streets have wires down," Tusino said. "Some parts of town are without power. National Grid has crews out and are addressing the issues as they come up."

Due to the storm, Natick police called in extra officers.

"Currently, we have quite a few wires down and wind-related calls," said Deputy Police Chief Brian Lauzon. "We have increased staffing levels for both the day shifts and evening shifts to better accommodate the increased calls for service. Hopefully, people take their inflatable holiday decorations in."

Just before 5 p.m. Monday, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced that utility wires were on the roadway blocking travel on Route 20 eastbound at the Interstate-95/Route 128 interchange on the Waltham-Weston line.

Information from WCVB-TV was used in this report.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Power outages, roads closed after storm batters Framingham, Milford