BROOKLINE, Mass. — Utility crews are working to get ahead of potential storm damage as a nor’easter is expected to bring strong winds and rain to parts of Massachusetts.
Crews were out in Brookline trimming trees and branches near power lines on Thursday, all aimed at reducing the risk of outages once winds begin to pick up.
“We are actively looking for any tree that has the potential to impact our lines,” said Eversource’s manager of vegetation management, Christopher Gonzalez.
Officials say trees and branches are a leading concern during storms because strong winds can bring them down onto nearby electrical equipment. Trees that are already weakened or damaged can pose an even greater risk.
This storm also comes while many trees are still full of leaves.
“The fact that it’s still September and the trees still have leaves on them, that’s added weight on the end of those trees, which makes it even more risky that something is going to happen,” said Gonzalez. “With the rain that we’re expecting, we could also see trees uprooting.”
Residents Anne and Andrei Bourdine told Boston 25 News they know outages can happen during storms and keep basic supplies at home just in case.
“There is nothing you can do about it. Usually it’s a very short outage,” Andrei said.
“We always have bottled water and things like that, you know, in the house just in case,” Anne said.
The couple also relies on alerts from the Town of Brookline to stay on top of changing conditions.
“We get the town alerts and things like that, and those are very helpful because it reminds us,” Anne said. “Otherwise, you know, we get absorbed in work or something and kind of forget that there’s a nor’easter coming.”
Some helpful tips to keep in mind:
- Charge your cellphones and portable battery packs
- Keep flashlights and extra batteries handy
- Secure your outdoor furniture or other loose objects that could be damaged by strong winds
Officials are warning residents to stay away from any downed power lines and always assume a downed wire is live.
Utility crews tell Boston 25 News they are also monitoring the forecast so resources can be positioned to respond quickly if outages or damage are reported.
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