Though Winter Storm Juno continues to pummel the Northeast with torrents of snow and gusts of wind, it’s actually been relatively tame here in the Commonwealth. Comparatively, the blizzard of 1978 claimed the lives of 73 Bay Staters, injured another 4,324 and left $500 million in damages in its wake. Thus far, Massachusetts is getting off rather easily.
Perhaps the most affected areas are the South Shore and Nantucket. According to the Boston Globe, communities south of Boston saw flooding occur well before high tide at 4:30 a.m.
At a noon press conference Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker noted that some of the surge busted through a seawall in Marshfield and “took out a house” that luckily nobody was in.
Some residences in Scituate and Hull were evacuated with the help of military personnel because flooding there, too, has been hazardous. Wicked Local reported that “the State Police said it sent a five-ton military vehicle to the town around 1:30 a.m. and spent around four hours helping to rescue residents.”
Of National Grid’s 12,804 customers on Nantucket, 12,800 were at one point without power. Gov. Baker also mentioned that back up generators helped restore power in some homes and as of 2:49 p.m., that number has dropped to 11,738.
Otherwise, Massachusetts is faring pretty well through the storm. Both the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Boston Police Department told BostInno that they have not had to respond to any injuries or emergencies.
The Massachusetts State Police is broadcasting updates online here, and has reported just minor car incidents and travel violations. Gov. Baker lifted the travel ban in the state’s westernmost counties and will continue do to so on a county-by-county basis. Currently, the ban also applies to I-90.
State Police Colonel Tim Alben joined Gov. Baker and stated that he’s seen “excellent compliance” on the part of would-be travelers abiding by the ban.
Massachusetts General Hospital’s head of emergency preparedness, Dr. Paul Biddinger, told BostInno that just four people have been admitted due to blizzard-related injuries.
Two people sustained hand injuries due to their snowblowers, one person is being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning due to an improperly cleared exhaust pipe, and one person was admitted for hypothermia.
Dr. Biddinger was unable to disclose exactly where these people are from, but he did note that they’re from “around the region.”
BostInno also reached out to Boston Medical Center but nobody was immediately available to comment.
Elsewhere in New England, similar outdoor restrictions are in place. Rhode Island issued a travel ban after witnessing 70 traffic accidents and haven’t recorded one since, according to the Providence Journal. Further, “The state’s three major bridges remain closed. There have been no arrests by state police. There was a propane fire on Niantic Avenue in Providence but it is under control.”
A travel ban is also in effect in Connecticut.
“Under normal circumstances, we would have expected hundreds of accidents on or highway system,” said Gov. Dannel Malloy. “Last night, we had 11.”
