A storm barreled up the East Coast on Monday, flooding roads and downing trees across New England, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands and forcing flight cancelations and school closures and killing at least three people.
Over 3 inches of rain had fallen in parts of Massachusetts by mid-morning, according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts reached nearly 70 mph along the southern New England shoreline.
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Power was knocked out for as many as 700,000 customers in New England, including 285,000 in Massachusetts and 330,000 in Maine. Maine’s largest utility, Central Maine Power, reported 50% of its customer base was without power at one point Monday.
An 89-year-old Hingham, Massachusetts, man was killed early Monday when high winds caused a tree to fall on a trailer, according to Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz. Robert Horky was pulled from the trailer with severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at South Shore Hospital.
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Fire crews in Holbrook freed a man who was trapped in a pickup truck after a large tree fell on it on Maywood Road. The driver was taken to an area hospital.
Police in Windham, Maine, said part of a tree fell and killed a man who was removing debris from his roof. Police did not immediately name the man, and they encouraged residents to stay indoors.
Also in Maine, a man in Fairfield died from injuries he suffered while removing a downed tree on Norridgewock Road Monday afternoon, News Center Maine reported.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills said all state offices would close for the afternoon.
“With the storm expected to grow stronger in the coming hours, I encourage all Maine people to be safe and vigilant and to exercise caution when traveling,” she said in a statement.
Weather knocked out power to street lights in Portland, Maine’s largest city, tying up traffic and stirring confusion at busy intersections. Wind ripped Christmas decorations from yards and homes, scattering them in city streets.
Flood warnings were issued for parts of western Connecticut, western Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire and Maine. New Hampshire moved its State Emergency Operations Center into partial activation mode to support communities experiencing damage from the severe rain, flooding and wind.
“We are asking people to avoid traveling at this time if they can as most people are safest at home,” Vanessa Palange, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said in a statement.
Many flights were cancelled or delayed across the region. Boston's Logan International Airport grounded all flights Monday morning because of the poor conditions, leading to more than 100 canceled flights and about 375 delays, according to the flight-tracking service FlightAware.
Trees and power lines fell in many areas, including some that landed on homes and cars. In the coastal town of Guilford, Connecticut, about 30 miles south of Hartford, a tree fell on a police cruiser but the officer escaped injury, officials said. Certain roads throughout the region were closed due to flooding or downed trees.
In Rhode Island, a fallen tree branch pierced a car window in Coventry, injuring a woman inside, according to WJAR. She was taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries. Emergency crews were also seen removing a car seat from the damaged vehicle.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also closed parts of Providence’s hurricane barrier system to prevent flooding from storm surge, Mayor Brett Smiley said. The Providence River gates were closed in the morning and another gate was scheduled to close. City Hall in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was closed due to leaks and water damage from its landmark tower, the city posted online.
Some schools canceled classes, sent students home early or delayed their openings due to the storm. Among them were schools in Vermont that closed early. A numbers of roads were also closed around the state due to flooding, including in Ludlow, the southern Vermont community that was hit hard by flooding in July. And authorities urged people in the village of Moretown to evacuate 30 to 50 homes because of flooding.
In South Boston, a tree fell on a home on F Street. The home was damaged, but no one was injured.
In Jamaica Plain, a tree fell on Perkins Street. The homeowner told NBC10 Boston they were woken up by a loud snap at about 6 a.m. A cleanup crew said the top half of the 100-year-old tree landed on a car that was driving down the street. That driver suffered minor injuries.
A giant tree toppled over onto a home on VFW Parkway in Boston's West Roxbury neighborhood.
"I was just sitting in my living room watching TV with my dog and we heard what sounded like a truck crash," said neighbor Vaughn Henry.
Henry was concerned for the people inside and knocked on the door.
"It's in his bedroom, he said he just got up out of his bed, luckily, went to the bathroom and heard a crash, and didn't know what was happening. Thought lighting had struck the house, that's what he said he thought," said Henry. "When he came out the tree was right across his bed where he would have been sleeping, luckily he got out of his bed and he's alive to tell the story.”
The tenant whose home was ruined tells NBC10 Boston by phone he wasn't hurt, but he lost all of his belongings.
The tree destroyed everything on the top floor, and the rain poured through the gaping hole in the roof and flooded the bottom floors.
On the other side of VFW Parkway, and around the same time, another tree came down in the torrential rains and strong winds. It completely blocked the eastbound lanes of the busy road.
"We see branches come off these oaks all the time," said neighborhood resident Mette Arnmark. "These oaks are unfortunately old. I love the trees, but they need trims they're not getting."
VFW Parkway is a state road from West Roxbury to Dedham. There are large trees over most of the roadway. Neighbors say the trees need more attention.
"I think it's about time maybe these trees be taken out," said Henry. "Before we all lose our homes here on the parkway."
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation says contractors are regularly pruning trees and removing hazards from all DCR parkways.
PHOTOS: Here's a look at the damage Monday's storm is causing across Mass.
Severe flooding on Route 9 prompted the closure of the highway in Wellesley where it crossed Route 16, local police said.
A tree was also reported down on wires on Route 1 north in Topsfield at Route 97 around 12 p.m., shutting down northbound traffic.
In Upton, a tree fell on some power lines and a passing vehicle earlier Monday morning, closing a portion of Mendon Street. No injuries were reported.
And in Lynnfield, a fallen tree crushed three vehicles and damaged part of a house.
"We just woke up to this tree. It shook the house, my son was asleep in the room," said Tim Walsh.
"It's like a train going by, like right by my head," said Tyler Walsh.
The Walsh family said the most unsettling part was that they had concerns about the tree that fell for a while now. In fact, they said they've been working with the town to remove it and had a scheduled date in February to have it cut down.
"We were counting down the days and I guess it came a little too soon, unfortunately," said Tyler. "Lucky to be alive. I feel very lucky right now."
No one was hurt as a result of this incident.
The Walsh family said they'll be working with their insurance to remedy the situation.
The storm also made for a messy Monday morning commute and could impact the afternoon commute as well. State government officials urged people to avoid traveling and driving on flooded roads.
“Even after the rain stops rivers will continue to crest into Tuesday, so take precautions now as no one is immune from the potential for flooding from this storm,” New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement. “Respect barriers and stay safe by avoiding flooded roadways. Give hard working crews plenty of space to do their jobs as they restore power and clear debris from roads.”
Rhode Island officials prohibited tractor-trailers on the Newport Pell and Jamestown Verrazzano bridges over Narragansett Bay because of the wind.
The traffic in the Allston area was backed up all the way to Brighton and parts of Newton on Monday morning because of both the rush hour and an accident.
In Reading, MassDOT said a rollover crash on Interstate 95 south at exit 56 closed two lanes. Drivers were told to expect delays in that area on Monday morning.
A tree was reported down on I-95 south in Foxborough as well, closing two lanes.
And trees were down on Route 110 in Haverhill, blocking traffic in both directions. Another tree took down power lines on Route 125 at Wood Lane in North Andover. And a fallen utility pole also struck a house on Fairmont Street in Lawrence.
Roadway flooding was also reported on Route 67 in Warren, resulting in detours.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
