After Storms Sweep Across State, Downed Trees, Power Outages Left Behind
TAUNTON, MA (CBS) – Saturday evening's storm was quick but powerful, bringing down trees and power lines in several places, and in Taunton, catching neighbors by surprise.
"The whole house was shaking really bad. The wind was slapping against my doors out back," said one man without power on Thrasher Street.
The wind gusts brought down a tree that became tangled up in power lines – knocking out electricity to most of the street.
"We just heard a big smash, a big bang – me and my neighbor," said Robert Smith.
Utility crews were high up in bucket trucks, working against the wind and bitter cold to restore power to those in the dark.
The Lopes family was barbequing when the storm rolled through.
"We put the flashlights up and just waited for the power to come back," said Mikaell Lopes.
The longer they waited, the colder it got. Temperatures hovered in the 40s in Taunton, but the wind made it feel much chillier.
"It's starting to get cold now. It's supposed to get cold tonight, they're saying. They're working on it," said Smith while holding a battery-operated light.
Neighbors are doing their best to stay charged up and warm until the power comes back on.
"I got my laptop and batteries out, so as long as my batteries hold out I'll be alright," said one woman
While rough weather hit the south coast and cape especially hard - with the National Weather Service posting tornado warnings for Dukes and Barnstable counties - other areas felt the damage, too. More than 9,000 homes were without power across the state.
In Ashland, lightning hit a tree on President's Row, sending it crashing to the ground and damaging buildings and cars in the area.
