While cities and towns work on cleaning up the debris from last week's storm, municipal officials also must turn their attention to paperwork in an effort to collecting any relief money.
Although the total cost of the cleanup remains unclear, a conference call held yesterday among state and local emergency management leaders was the first step in determining if state or federal disaster relief will be available to Merrimack Valley and North Shore communities hit hardest by the storm.
"The state will be sending out preliminary damage assessment forms, as they did with other disasters," said Matt Kraunelis, chief of staff for Methuen Mayor William Manzi. "We fill out the form with damage estimates and send it back to the state. The deadline is later this week. They want a quick turnaround."
Kraunelis said the forms will be used to determine whether a statewide threshold has been reached for federal or state disaster relief. If that threshold is met, county-by-county estimates will be reviewed, followed by local estimates.
With electricity now restored to the vast majority of Merrimack Valley residents who lost it, work this week will focus on cleaning up downed tree trunks, limbs and other debris.
Lots of overtime
Area public works directors said overtime pay was their biggest cost during the storm response. Another was powering diesel and natural gas-burning generators, which kept water and sewer pumping stations running during power outages late last week.
"It was a lot of overtime. It was a lot of fuel," said North Andover public works Director Bruce Thibodeau. "We're just going to have to absorb it into the regular budget, and toward the end of this year there are some things we won't be able to get done."
Methuen's Tree Department began clearing downed trees Thursday night. Workers cut up the logs and hauled them to the city landfill and ground them into wood chips. Logs that can be used for firewood were taken to the town yard, where they can be hauled away by residents.
Jack Collins, Methuen Tree Department supervisor, said most of the trees that fell were privately owned but landed on city streets, thus becoming the city's responsibility to remove.
"We have a few things we're still working on," said Collins. "But a lot of the work has been done."
In Andover, Plant and Facilities Director Joe Piantedosi said the timing of the storm played out in the town's favor. Soon, work crews will be busy preparing town fields and parks for the spring.
But because the windstorm hit in late February, Piantedosi said he can schedule crews to retrieve downed trees and limbs without having to rely heavily on overtime.
"We'll probably be cleaning this one up for the next month or so," said Piantedosi.
Frank McCann, public works director in Lawrence, said there will be a lot of overtime involved due to flooding on Winthrop Avenue, along with other spots around the city.
Otherwise, tree damage wasn't bad, and was confined mostly to city parks, he said.
In Haverhill, public works Director Michael Stankovich said there are many hanging tree limbs that still must be removed.
"We're still in cleanup mode, which will continue through this weekend," said Stankovich.
Tree companies busy
Business has been booming since the storm hit for companies like Livingston Family Tree Service, which Lawrence-native Mac Livingston operates out of Methuen.
"I'm running around like a crazy man," said Livingston. "Basically, I've been living out of my truck."
Livingston said he's getting calls from customers who want their yards cleaned up, but those jobs are on the back burner until homes with major tree damage are taken care of, he said.
Public works crews have to wait for utility companies to respond before they can remove trees that downed power lines. Such work was under way yesterday on Stevens and Winter streets in North Andover. Problems with downed wires continued yesterday on Blood Road and Osgood Street in Andover.
At about noon yesterday, the National Grid Web site listed more than 650 customers in Essex County without power. By last night, that number had been reduced to 110 customers, including less than 30 in Andover, Haverhill, Lawrence and Methuen and zero in North Andover.
"They did a real good job, considering the damage that was done," said Piantedosi.
North Andover fire Chief William Martineau said he was aware of only a small number of households on Main, Green and Ashland streets that remained without power yesterday.
"I know it's specific to the residents, so it's probably a matter of getting the electrician to the house and then calling the electrical inspector," said North Andover fire Chief William Martineau.
Among the area customers that remain without power is Costa Eagle Broadcasting, which operates a transmission station in Salem, N.H., for talk radio station WCCM 1110 AM.
General Manager Pat Costa said the station has been off the air since 11 p.m. Thursday, after two trees knocked down poles and wires at the station off Pelham Road.
"There's a possibility we could be off the rest of the week," said Costa. "For us, it's very devastating."
Staff reporters Bill Kirk and Mike LaBella contributed to this report.
