Tens Of Thousands Still Without Power After Cape Cod Tornado

Gov. Charlie Baker visited Cape Cod on Wednesday, a day after the region was hit by severe thunderstorms and a tornado, causing damage and leaving tens of thousands without power.

A confirmed tornado bringing winds of 110 mph touched down in Yarmouth and then in Harwich on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

At 1:45 p.m., Baker told reporters that government and utility workers were actively working to restore power.

Baker added that removing debris, especially so that roads can be reopened, has been a priority for the state and the clean up crews.

"People are very focused on removing debris, and very focused on getting roads opened, and very focused on dealing with the very real issues the residents and businesses have with respect to being able to get back into and out of their property," he said.

The tornado ripped the roof off The Cape Sands Inn in Yarmouth, and left trees blocking roads. There were no serious injuries.

Dennis Fire Chief Mark Dellner said there was widespread wreckage in his town as well.

"Trees as big as some small houses are uprooted, trees that have been there for 200 years," he said. "I've never seen anything like it, ever. The road closures were immense."

About 50,000 people were initially left without power, amid peak tourist season for the Cape. As of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Eversource released a statement saying that it will restore power to most of the remaining 19,000 customers going without it by Friday evening. The utility dispatched about 500 vehicles to restore power.

Baker met with local officials, emergency personnel and first responders in Harwich to assess damage and recovery efforts, according to a statement from the governor's office.

He has been in Colorado for a Republican Governors Association meeting for the past few days, but returned to the state for the meeting. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito met with officials Tuesday night in his place.

Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross were also on hand after the storm to help provide resources. MEMA set up a shelter at Dennis Yarmouth Regional High School overnight for people affected by power outages. As of early Wednesday morning, the shelter remained open.

With reporting by WBUR's Newscast Unit and WBUR's Steve Brown and Callum Borchers