BRAINTREE, Mass — Eversource serves as an energy supplier for many of the communities at high risk of impact from tropical system Lee -- and the utility mobilized tree crews and outside contractors to assist in storm recovery efforts.
But, with Lee’s track suddenly shifting to the east, it might turn out to be overkill.
“We’ve been watching the storm for over a week now,” said Craig Hallstrom, Eversource President for Regional Electrical Operations. “It wasn’t really forecast to impact the coast. But a couple of days ago, it was coming more west and we were going to get more of an impact.”
Hallstrom spoke to the press outside Eversource’s Boston headquarters. He seemed heartened by the latest forecasts, which now show Lee brushing the New England coast from 180 miles away.
“It’s still kind of a major storm,” Hallstrom said. “The forecast right now is for sustained winds in the 40s and gusts may top 50.”
Those wind velocities are much more likely to be seen in coastal communities -- including the Cape, Plymouth and Marshfield.
Hallstrom does think botanical damage is likely -- especially because of recent heavy rains, which have helped destabilize trees.
“We brought in about 200 tree crews,” he said. “Based on the foirecast, the peak of the storm for us is going to be sunrise Saturday to noon Saturday.”
And then Lee will be history. But Hallstrom said Eversource is also keeping an eye on the next system, which would be named Nigel.
Braintree is one of a handful of communities at risk of damage from Lee that are served by a municipal power supplier.
The Braintree Electric Light Department has just 17,000 customers -- and in any kind of storm, that offers a key advantage, said Weijun Li, Engineering and Operations Manager.
“In Braintree we are in a great position because the system is relatively compact, relatively small,” said Li. “We can get to any location in town in a relatively short time... in ten minutes.”
But Li isn’t expecting big problems from Lee. He said the utility’s main transmission line runs underground -- offering lots of protection from the elements. And above-ground wires and poles have been assiduously maintained over the years, he said.
“We can say with a high level of confidence that the Braintree system is in great shape,” Li said. “We strongly believe we’re well prepared, just like other storms we’ve had to deal with in the past.”
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