One Year Later: What Did You Learn from Tropical Storm Irene?

It was a storm that left thousands in Wayland without power and more than a dozen streets closed. What can Newton and New England learn from the storm?

It has been a year since Tropical Storm Irene hit New England, leaving trees and power lines down, homes damaged and many without power.  The storm blew through New England on Aug. 28, 2011, and although much of the Boston-area dodged a bullet in terms of storm damage, Wayland residents saw debris covered streets, trees blocking roadways and, perhaps most distressing, days without power. Town officials said Irene cost Wayland nearly $8,000 in public safety costs and required more than 2,000 feet of caution tape to block roads and debris-stricken areas. Multiple Wayland streets were closed following the storm, as trees and downed power lines blocked routes and left some residents stranded in their homes. The storm disrupted businesses -- …

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Grow With Me

Inspiration is All Around, Even in Destruction

A tree hit the house when Irene blew through, but we made it into something beautiful.

Irene came and went and left Wayland not only in the dark for days but a big ol' mess. During the storm, an enormous pine tree uprooted and fell, taking three other trees with it. It hit our roof and then landed inches from our truck. It was wild, scary and raw. The next day, we fired up the chainsaws and tractor, grabbed the hand clippers and rakes, and got to work. I found myself pausing for a moment and just looking around feeling thankful my house was still in one piece. I was standing in the driveway looking at my entire garage smothered by branches and leaves and had a vision: I pictured something beautiful climbing up and cascading over the side. I was inspired by Mother Nature's destruction. She gave me a great landscape idea, and …

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Irene by the Numbers: Wayland Officials Detail Storm Costs and Damage

More than 2,000 feet of yellow caution tape was used by police officials alone.

More than 2,000 feet of yellow caution tape was used by the Wayland Police Dept. alone during and after tropical storm Irene, said Police Chief Bob Irving. Irving, with Fire Chief Bob Loomer and Local Emergency Planning Committee Chairman Doug Leard, detailed at the Sept. 6 Board of Selectmen's meeting areas of town where damage from fallen trees was worst, the cost of extra man-power and how future storms could be better handled. Irving said preparations for the storm, which struck on Aug. 28, began with a media advisory on Thursday, Aug. 25. The next day, members of the police and fire departments, Town Administrators Office and Local Emergency Planning Committee met to begin preparations. The public safety costs for the storm totaled $7…

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Q&A: Tree Care, Removal in the Wake of Hurricane Irene

Patch asked Lynch Landscape & Tree Service for some tree tips.

Quentin Nowland, director of operations at Lynch Landscape & Tree Service in Wayland, and Bill Joseph, a Certified Massachusetts Arborist, offered some tips for properly caring for your trees as you clean up after Hurricane Irene. Q: Is there a proper way to remove broken branches from an otherwise undamaged tree? A: Yes, the proper way to remove broken branches is the three cut or "tri-cut" method. The first step is the under cut. Second, perform a top cut in front of the under cut. Lastly, go behind the under cut and make a clean cut all the way through the branch to prevent any wounds or damage. Q: How do you know if a tree can be salvaged? A: In order to correctly know if a tree can be salvaged, a homeowner should contact a local …

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Sen. Richard Ross Responds to Hurricane Irene

The Office of Sen. Richard Ross submitted the press release below about Hurricane Irene.

The text below is from a press release provided by the Office of Sen. Richard Ross (R-Wrentham). Ross represents Wayland. Sen. Richard Ross (R-Wrentham) would like to inform his constituents of various issues related to the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. His office has been continuously fielding calls from local officials and constituents from several towns, regarding various issues in the wake of the storm – most prominently, the power outages. At this time, more than half of the towns in Ross’ district are still without power. Additionally, local officials have reported that their calls to National Grid have gone unanswered. “I am greatly disappointed with this lack of communication between National Grid and municipalities,” said Ross. “I…

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VIDEO: Tree Removal at Russell's Garden Center

A tree brought down Sunday by Irene on the old section of Russell's Garden Center was already being cleared Monday.

Hurricane Irene Sunday felled an enormous old tree on the property of Russell's Garden Center in Wayland on Route 20. For a time, the tree blocked Route 20 in both directions, but was cleared from the roadway on Sunday. On Monday, however, work began on clearing a large tree toppled into the yellow house and some green houses on the old property at Russell's. The trunk of the tree, resting on the roof of the yellow house, managed to drop branches and debris through the sheeting on the nearby greenhouses, but it did miss – just barely – the oldest greenhouse on the property. It's known as the Prop House, as in "propagation." But it was nothing a couple of cranes and chainsaws couldn't handle.

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PatchCast

PatchCast: Recovery from Hurricane Irene is Underway

A roundup of the region's experience with and response to Hurricane Irene.

Check out your local Patch site for information about Hurricane Irene as it relates specifically to your town. A sampling of articles and images featured in today's PatchCast is below.

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Grahame Turner

9:14 pm on Tuesday, August 30, 2011

@Philip If I had to guess, I would suggest that the transformer got overtaxed and shut down. I couldn't speak to it, but I am guessing.   more ›