Early morning thunderstorms knock out power to hundreds of Merrimack Valley homes
NORTH ANDOVER — More than 1,200 customers throughout the Merrimack Valley lost electricity this morning as powerful thunderstorms swept through the area, downing tree limbs and sending utility lines to the ground.
As of about noon today, most residents and businesses had their power restored, although there were still about 230 customers without power in Lawrence, mostly on Garmin, Jackson and Essex streets.
In North Andover, about 258 homes and businesses in the Waverly Road neighborhood lost power. Another 85 homes lost power on Appleton Street. In all, 320 homes lost power in North Andover due to the storms, according to National Grid spokeswoman Amy Zorich.
North Andover Police Sgt. Timothy Crane said this morning that live wires were dangling from poles in the area of Dana and Marblehead streets, which is just off of Waverly. Police blocked the road until National Grid crews could get to the site.
Power was restored to those homes by 10:30 a.m., Zorich said. In Methuen, 90 customers lost power starting about 4:31 a.m., but were back on line by 7 a.m.
At the peak, 1,200 to 1,400 Essex County customers lost power, Zorich said. Customers also lost power in Newburyport, Gloucester and Essex as well as in Bristol, Middlesex and Worcester counties.
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