Thousands still without power in Massachusetts after storms

Hours after powerful storms hit multiple states in New England, neighbors are still trying to pick up the pieces.

As of 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, over 23,000 people were still without power, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. More than half of those outages were in the towns of Andover and North Andover alone.

Visibility in Andover was low on Friday afternoon, as whipping winds and heavy rain made their way across Massachusetts.

The storm sent power lines tumbling down while whole trees blocked roads and toppled over homes.

"This is really bad for me," said Chuan Wu Wong, whose Andover neighborhood was devastated by the storm. "I never saw this situation before. It took me like half an hour extra to get home last night."

“Both of my parents were in the home where the tree collapsed and I thought the worst.” Nicole Angelos said.

Her parents where injured when a tree came crashing through their home, barely missing the couple.

“If he had been sitting in the normal chair he sits in he wouldn’t be alive that’s exactly where the tree landed," Angelos added.

“I’ve never seen this much devastation,” said one neighbor about a summer full of severe weather that has left them in disbelief.

Crews are trying to clear the streets as much as possible with the devastation spanning through the whole block.

Clean up efforts are continuing Saturday as power restoration continues.

"Andover Town Officials are actively supporting National Grid’s effort to restore power. Two of the primary power supplies to the town have experienced significant damage. The locations of these supplies (one located in West Andover and another in the south end of Andover) have resulted in widespread outages throughout Andover. The damage to the primary power supplies will result in significant delays in restoring power. It is expected that power outages will continue into tomorrow." said the Andover authorities in a statement.

National Grid has over 1,000 people working in the region to restore power as soon as possible, they said. Additional crews were even brought in from Canada.

“Our crews worked throughout the night and are in the field today to restore power to our customers as quickly and safely as possible,” said Tim Moore, National Grid's vice president for electric operations for New England. “We are working through multiple 911 and other emergency calls and our workforce is removing hazards, navigating around fallen trees and blocked roads as we make repairs and restore service hour-by-hour throughout the impacted regions.”

National Grid repaired some of the electrical systems in Andover early Saturday night, but significant damage still remains to overhead powerlines throughout the town. As a result, power outages are expected to continue into tomorrow.

Downed trees and debris were cleared from roadways by the Andover Department of Public Works on Saturday evening. Residents are still being encouraged to use extreme caution when traveling on roads or sidewalks.

The Robb Center, located at 30 Whitter Court, will be open as a cooling and charging center Sunday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., according to the Town of Andover. Memorial Hall Library will also be open to the public beginning at 1 p.m.