Grayson was tough, but Warren dodges a bullet

The biggest news so far coming out of Winter Storm Grayson? No power outages in Warren.

Warren weathered Thursday’s snow storm better than many might have expected. Though nearly 17 inches of snow fell on the area, residents reported no power outages throughout the day Thursday and into Friday, a godsend to residents who worried that outages followed by brutal cold already moving in would lead to burst water pipes and other problems.

“That was the biggest plus, no power outages,” Warren Fire Chief James Sousa said Friday morning. “We fared pretty well; a few sprinkler issues, but that wasn’t related” to the snow.

Across Warren Friday morning, residents struggled to dig out from the storm, contending with drifts that in some places reached three to four feet deep. Though the storm brought small branches and limbs down across town, there was little associated damage. And the roads were as clear as could be expected.

“It could have been way worse,” said Al Bettencourt as he shoveled out a sidewalk in front of his home on Main Street.

Warren DPW Director Jan Malik said his department had 13 trucks on the road, plus a few private contractors. His workers were plowing all day Thursday and didn’t finish until 3:30 or 4 a.m., he said.

“They were all back in at 7,” he said.

Though three trucks broke down during the course of the storm, he said he was happy with Warren’s response given the heavy snowfall and conditions that at times were as bad as anything he’s seen.

“When it’s coming down three inches an hour for five hours, that’s tough to stay up with,” he said. “Our guys were telling us that it was tough to keep up. You start at Road A and by the time you finish your route and went back, it looked like you hadn’t done anything.”

The storm drew comparisons in his mind to the Blizzard of ’78, 30 years ago this winter.

“I’m not saying it was as bad as ’78 overall, but at times it was,” he said.