Ice leaves residents 'prisoners'
Leominster and Fitchburg are hit hard
FITCHBURG - Broken tree limbs and downed power lines wreaked havoc here, virtually paralyzing this town and much of the region.
"I've never seen anything like this," said a clerk at a Tedeschi's Food Mart, punching a handheld calculator to ring up receipts because the store had no electricity. Customers, walking through dark aisles, stocked up on snacks and drinks.
Residents of this town, where a state of emergency was declared at 3 a.m., and neighboring Leominster awoke yesterday morning to assess the damage caused by whipping winds and ice. Seemingly everywhere was a litter of tree limbs and debris that covered yards and smashed into cars and houses.
Mayor Lisa Wong - speaking at the town's Fire Department, which served as headquarters for the emergency response effort - said, "The primary focus is the protection of life."
About 80 percent of the town, primarily outside downtown, was without electricity, Wong said, and two shelters capable of handling 1,000 people had been set up.
She spoke during an afternoon press conference that included Governor Deval Patrick. Speaking about the eerie beauty left behind by the storm, which encased virtually everything in ice, Patrick said the scene yesterday was "deceptive in a way, because we were riding in the midafternoon and the skies were almost entirely clear and the trees were covered with ice. If they were not so treacherous, they'd be almost pretty."
Just as transfixing was the scope of damage. In neighboring Leominster, a row of homes on North Main Street was battered. Massive tree branches had fallen on patios, backyard sheds, and above-ground pools.
A power line and a large tree branch fell on top of two sedans parked in the front driveway of 172 North Main Street. At noon yesterday, the line hung across most of the front of the white, two-story house.
"We're prisoners in our own home because the Fire Department told us not to go out," said Ed Souza, 65, standing in a screen-enclosed side patio room. "I've lived here for 40 years, and it has never been this bad."
His wife, Eileen, said that when power to their house was knocked out at about 11 p.m. Thursday night they had moved from their bedroom to another room that had a gas fireplace. They tried to sleep, but were constantly awakened by the sound of crashing tree limbs.
"I couldn't believe it when I got up this morning and looked outside," Ed Souza said. The couple said they called their electric company at 5 a.m. and were told that a crew would "try to get out there." They called again an hour later and were told the same thing.
Next door, a Christmas display with a present-filled white sled and white, wooden reindeer adorned a well-manicured front yard, but the backyard was full of large downed tree limbs, one of which fell into an above-ground pool that was full of water. The limb apparently ruptured the pool, and 6 inches of water covered a portion of the yard.
Across the street, Andy Buja awoke to the sight of a large tree branch lying in his yard, partially resting on his wooden fence. He, apparently like every resident in the neighborhood, was also without power.
"It's just surprising how nature's pruning service comes around this time of year," said Buja, who on Thursday night had returned from a flight from Los Angeles. After driving from Logan Airport, he arrived home just in time for the electricity to go out.
"This is the first time we've had an outage this long," said Buja, 44, standing in his living room.
His daughter, Stephanie, commented about one benefit of the storm. "No biology exam for me today," said the 14-year-old, dressed in baggy sweats.
Although Route 2 West, leading into Leominster and Fitchburg, remained clear of debris yesterday morning, hundreds of branches rested on the shoulder of the road, and work crews cut or cleared other snow-covered branches that were threatening to fall on the road.
Restaurants, drugstores, and other businesses were closed through the early afternoon in Leominster, and the few that stayed open had "cash only" signs in front.
Intersections became four-way stops as most traffic signals were not operating.
In Fitchburg, more stores and traffic signals were operating, but the damage appeared just as widespread. A nativity scene at a downtown park was almost covered with large tree branches, and drivers had to pick their way through the streets to avoid debris.
The storm left many businesses without workers because employees had to tend to weather-related issues at home. A few fast food restaurants, such as a Burger King in Fitchburg, had power and were open. Around noon, traffic was reduced to a crawl as hungry residents without power in their homes to cook headed out in search of hot meals.
Some of the restaurants opened briefly, closing when the number of orders overcame the few employees who had shown up.
The rush, combined with the reflex of winter-savvy New Englanders to fill up their gas tanks, caused severe backups along main routes in both towns. 