Community Corner

Irene Creeps Closer, Hundreds Lose Power

Hundreds of homes were affected near Boxford.

After spending Saturday barreling up the east coast and reportedly causing several deaths, Hurricane Irene continued its path toward Massachusetts Sunday morning.

In North Andover, Irene is expected to have tropical storm force -- less than a hurricane but still dangerous.

Overnight, hundreds of homes lost power in the area of town near Great Pond Road and West Boxford. Power to many of those homes was restored within a few hours.

Find out what's happening in North Andoverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

With tropical storm winds and heavy rain expected throughout Sunday, it is anticipated that more power outages will follow.

Residents are advised to make sure they have flashlights and enough batteries to last several days in case power is out that long.

Find out what's happening in North Andoverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Emergency Management Director Jeff Coco said that Emergency Management will be set up at the Sunday morning. They will monitor situations around town throughout the storm.

Gov. Patrick has declared a state of emergency and is asking that residents do not travel if they don't have to. The MBTA has suspended all services effective at 8 a.m. (to allow health care workers to travel to work).


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