Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says the state "absolutely" plans to seek federal disaster assistance in the aftermath of a powerful storm that raked the East Coast.
Baker said last week's nor'easter caused extensive damage along the state's coastline. Once the immediate crisis has passed, he said he'll ask local officials to begin tallying the damage so the state can make a formal request for federal aid.
Power is slowly being restored in the hardest-hit areas of New England, days after a destructive nor'easter downed trees and power lines, flooded coastal areas and forced a number of school districts to cancel classes.
As of Monday morning, there were still more than 100,000 customers still without power across New England. Nearly 30 schools, particularly on the South Shore of Massachusetts, were closed for the day or will open later.
One of the towns that cancelled school Monday was Scituate, where the damage is still evident after waves and wind slammed the coastline over the weekend. Crews are working to help clear roads and residents have been working to clean out their yards.
"At this point the whole back of the house is open and I'd say pretty much everything on the first floor is compromised," said Ethel Williams of Scituate, whose beach home was destroyed by the storm.
Doris Crary, owner of The Oceanside Inn, said her establishment lost a deck, but otherwise fared pretty well despite waves that crashed over the 50-foot high building.
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The city of Quincy said it is sending trash trucks through the hard-hit neighborhoods all week to pick up storm-damaged furniture, carpeting, and bedding. The Department of Public Works is continuing to assist homeowners in pumping out flooded homes.
In Sandwich, on Cape Cod, one waterfront home was undercut by the tide and left hanging over the beach.
The MBTA asked commuters on the North and South Shore to be patient on Monday morning. Officials say that crews were working throughout the weekend to try and put things back together after downed tree limbs had to be removed from tracks.
The MBTA says they are expecting to return to full service later Monday, but there were numerous delays reported during the morning commute, particularly along coastal routes still recovering from weather-related problems. The region's major airports were operating at near normal capacity.
The Red Cross is delivering food across the region and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is continuing to evaluate the damage before yet another storm is expected to roll in later this week.
The cleanup continuing on Monday comes ahead of another nor'easter that's slated to hit the area on Wednesday.
