Gov. Patrick Tours Areas Hardest Hit By Blizzard
PLYMOUTH (CBS/AP) — Gov. Deval Patrick says Massachusetts came through the blizzard reasonably well, but about 144,000 residents are still without power.
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Travel slowly returned to normal and crews raced to restore power in Massachusetts on Sunday after the massive snowstorm that dumped up to 30 inches of snow in the Northeast and lashed the coast with damaging winds and tides.
Some trains and buses began running Sunday, said authorities, who hoped to fully restore the system for Monday morning's rush hour. Logan Airport also reopened, and a travel ban on roads was lifted.
About 144,000 homes and businesses, mostly along the southeastern Massachusetts coast and on Cape Cod, were without power Sunday morning and some might be without it until Tuesday, officials warned. About 1,000 people stayed overnight in shelters, said Gov. Deval Patrick.
"Considering the severity of the storm, the amount of snow and the wind, we've come though this pretty well," Patrick told CBS on "Face the Nation."
The governor, joined by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and interim Sen. William "Mo" Cowan, toured hard-hit areas of Plymouth and Cape Cod on Sunday, meeting with local emergency management officials.
Patrick said damage along the coast was still being assessed, but no serious injuries were reported from flooding.
Officials also warned of carbon monoxide dangers after two people, including a teenage boy, died while sitting in running cars in Boston.
An additional concern going forward was a forecast for rain Monday.
While warmer temperatures might begin melting snow, the rain on top of snow-laden roofs could pose a danger of collapse.
"We are encouraging people as they can do so safely to use snow rakes and so forth to move the snow off of their roofs," Patrick said.
