Haverhill Police photograph.
In the wake of a powerful storm that tore trees from their roots, closed schools and cut electricity across the Merrimack Valley, National Grid is asking residents to hang tight for a little while longer.
In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Dan Bunszell, National Grid’s vice president of New England Electric Operations, said the company expects to restore power to the majority of customers by Wednesday.
According to Mayor James J. Fiorentini, 7,478 households in Haverhill were without power as of Tuesday afternoon. Two of the city’s schools, Moody and Bartlett, also remained in the dark. The biggest outage was said to be in the River Street and Washington Street areas.
Overnight Monday into Tuesday, the storm brought hurricane-force wind gusts that topped hundreds of trees, snapped utility poles and, absent power, caused the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District to divert thousands of gallons of untreated sewage into the Merrimack River.
Schools remained closed in Haverhill, Methuen and Andover Tuesday, while Timberlane Regional School District delayed its opening two hours in the aftermath of the storm. Haverhill schools, including Moody and Bartlett, will re-open on Wednesday, Nov. 1, said Superintendent James F. Scully.
Cities and towns across the Valley have put their trick-or-treating plans on hold as they deal with Mother Nature’s wrath.
Little goblins in Sandown are set to go door-to-door on Friday, Nov. 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. In Methuen, the Halloween candy grab will take place on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m., while Andover postpones its festivities to Sunday, Nov. 5 from 4 to 7 p.m.