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National Guard Sent To Cape Cod To Help With Storm Cleanup

Gov. Charlie Baker visited Cape Cod communities impacted by storms to assess damage Wednesday. (Courtesy Charlie Baker)
Gov. Charlie Baker visited Cape Cod communities impacted by storms to assess damage Wednesday. (Courtesy Charlie Baker)

Gov. Charlie Baker is sending up to 500 National Guard troops to Cape Cod to help clean up areas hit by severe thunderstorms and tornadoes earlier this week.

Baker said in a statement that National Guard members would help clear debris in Dennis, Harwich, Chatham and Yarmouth with help from Department of Corrections work crews, comprised of about 221 DOC employees and 88 inmates. The crews will join first responders and local officials who have been working to repair damage since the storms hit Tuesday.

The National Weather Service said Wednesday afternoon that it had confirmed two tornadoes touched down in the region with speeds up to 110 mph.

As of Thursday afternoon, a few hundred homes and businesses were still waiting for electricity to be restored. Eversource said in a statement it has already restored power to about 103,000 customers impacted by the storms.

The utility now expects most customers will have their power back by midnight.

“Our crews are doing a tremendous job under extremely difficult conditions, and we’re at the stage of the restoration process where the final outages call for extensive repairs that are labor-intensive and time-consuming," said Doug Foley,  Eversource vice president of electric field operations, in the statement.

Eversource added that it may not be able to restore power for some customers that will need additional repairs due to extensive damage.

But there are other signs of progress. A shelter for people displaced by the severe weather at Dennis Yarmouth Regional High School closed Thursday morning.

Baker said Wednesday that he would seek a federal disaster declaration, which is required to trigger federal aid and assistance.

State environmental protection officials are also temporarily waiving regulations to speed up removal of debris in wetland areas.

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