Sen. Kerry Seeks Relief For Small Businesses Affected By Black Out

Sen. John Kerry is asking the federal government to offer help for the small businesses in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood after a 115,000-volt transformer caught fire Tuesday evening, cutting power to 21,000 homes and businesses.

In a letter to the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Kerry said the blackout has cost the companies critical revenue that they cannot replace.

"Many of those affected were small businesses that don’t have the resources to bring in extra staff or purchase a generator," Sen. Kerry said in a statement. "They have had to close their doors and send their employees home while they wait for power to return."

As of Thursday afternoon, 4,000 NStar customers were still without power.

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