The day after a storm reminiscent of the infamous Blizzard of ’78 blanketed Gloucester in 22 inches of snow, city employees and residents got out and about Tuesday.
Gloucester Public Works Director Mike Hale said crews who had been working to clear roadways since 10 p.m. Sunday were hoping Tuesday to clear school and municipal lots.
“We have to do a lot of heavy clearing today, knowing more is to fall,” Hale said.
The National Weather Service is predicting Gloucester could see another 1 to 3 inches of snow Wednesday.
Hale said removal of snow downtown would allow the cars parked in school and municipal lots to return to the streets after the parking ban was lifted at noon Tuesday. The city allows residents with no off-street parking available to park in those lots during snow parking bans.
Crews were to able remove some snow from downtown and put it in various places around the city, Hale said, but for the most part, they need to “keep pushing it up and wait for good melts.”
“We just have to keep at it, it’s all we can do,” he said.
Mayor Paul Lundberg said Tuesday afternoon the city hoped to have schools and city offices open Wednesday.
National Grid was able to restore most of the power lost Monday and estimated all Gloucester customers would see power restored Tuesday evening. About 627 customers were still without power Tuesday afternoon.
Across the state, National Grid restored power to over 70,000 of the 94,000 who lost electricity and is continuing its restoration efforts.
Despite the snowfall, Gloucester residents were out Tuesday, including the many employees of Main Street businesses who were back to normal operations.
Before the storm hit Sunday, Nelson’s Clothing store employee Shyrley Breard said 40 to 50 people came in, most of whom were looking for boots.
“We had at least double the amount of people come in that usually do,” she said.
Revive Wellness employee Bill Schreyack was out shoveling early Tuesday afternoon following a day Monday of plowing out driveways in weather he called “wicked dangerous.”
“It’s the worst storm we’ve had in a really long time,” Schreyack said. “I haven’t seen whiteout conditions like that in a very long time.”
After working with neighbors to clear the sidewalk of their apartment building, Nathan Peterson said many people seemed to be in good spirits.
“I think more people are excited for the snow because it’s been a couple of years since we’ve been so heavily impacted,” Peterson said. “It gives everyone a good time to be neighborly or stay inside, make good food and have a day off from work.”
Gloucester wasn’t the only Cape Ann community struggling with where to put snow.
Essex Town Administrator Brendan Zubricki said public works employees removed tons of snow — placing it on the town-owned parcel at 30 Apple St. He said it is premature to estimate how much the storm cost Essex.
“It’s too early to have any figures there, even ballpark,” he said.
Zubricki said the town is anticipating more snow Wednesday.
“Our understanding is that the Wednesday storm will be very minor,” he said. “The town is prepared for it.”
Police and firefighters earned their stripes Monday and Tuesday, responding to calls of downed trees, stuck vehicles and reported power outages.
Essex Fire Chief Christen Hassel said firefighters were kept busy dealing with downed trees and utility wires.
“There’s nothing too crazy to report,” Hassel said Tuesday. “We had some trees and a (utility) pole down on Southern Avenue. We had to close the road down for a time.”
Another utility wire was knocked down on Apple Street, he said.
Power was out for several hours in Essex until National Grid was able to make repairs and restore electricity to its customers.
Over in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Town Administrator Tony Barletta praised the town’s Public Works, Police and Fire personnel.
“The days following a storm event, our crews focus on widening streets, clearing priority sidewalks and digging out fire hydrants,” he said Tuesday. “Every storm is different and so our preparation will vary on the forecasted information. Through all the challenges we have faced, our crews have managed to maintain access for emergency response vehicles throughout each storm, which is always our first priority.”
Barletta extended thanks to the subcontractors who assisted with snow removal operations and officials from National Grid and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) who provided storm-related help.
“Once again, this winter we experienced a long duration snowstorm with a significant amount of snow,” said Barletta. “This storm included heavy snow and high winds which led to downed trees and power outages. Luckily, we weren’t dealing with astronomical high tides or else the coastal impact could have been significantly worse.”
Barletta said town workers and officials from National Grid will continue to mop up after the storm.
Asked how much Monday’s storm cost the town, Barletta echoed Zubricki.
“It’s too early to calculate costs,” he said.
Staff Writer Bobby Grady may be contacted at 978-675-2714 or bgrady@gloucestertimes.com.