Residents Find Unity, Headaches in Irene's Wake

Hurricane Irene brought to much of the state on Sunday, Westwood included, but some Westwood residents were affected as early as Saturday.

"After some fantastic rounds of hide-and-go seek in the dark, and our own little dance party, we were happy and surprised when the power returned," said Tara Mansour, a Greenfield Road resident, who lost power for a brief period on Saturday. "We spent the next day watching the rain, walking around with extra layers, and checking Facebook to see how friends and neighbors near and far were weathering the storm. We were surprised when we heard a big crash."

That crash was a large section of a tree that had landed in the back of Mansour's home. The tree, fortunately, did not cause extensive damage and Mansour's family retained power in their home, though only for a short time before it went out again.

Mansour was one of several residents who found some way to enjoy the day stuck in her home with her family on Sunday. Oak Street, Mill Street, Edgewood Road, Chase Estates, Pond Street and High Rock Lane were among the Westwood neighborhoods facing power outages into Monday. But it wasn't enough to damper the spirits of some residents.

"Several of the neighbors got together to watch the wind," said Linda Tenofsky of Mill Street. "Four families were in one house, enjoying a glass of wine. We all made sure we had batteries and shared some books to keep us busy. I think times like these bring neighbors together."

Likewise, Oak Street resident Cheryl Morrison Deutsch said her family was well-prepared for the storm.

"Overall the storm was less than we feared, and except for a few broken limbs, on the trees that is, we fared well outside," she said, adding that her family lost power shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday, and the rest of the day was spent trying to keep her 10-year-old triplets amused during the storm.

"After many games of UNO and the first annual back-to-school closet clean out, we were about done," she said, adding that her children began to act out their favorite TV shows by the end of the day.

Still, it wasn't fun and games for all. Mary Glynn, a Brookfield Road resident, was able to retain power as of Sunday afternoon, but dealt with her street being blocked by a downed tree and live wire across the road.

"I have a lot of water in my rooms down stairs, and a garage with a lot of dirt," Glynn said. "I am waiting for the water to go down a bit; it was over my ankles."

Glynn said it was not the first time she had dealt with such obstacles; she faced a similar situation during a storm last year.

"All my record collection, I have to put everything out and get up off the rugs," said Glynn, who had to cancel a trip to Maine she had planned for months with her friends.

The Westwood Department of Public Works said Monday that all roads that were affected by downed trees and power lines due to Hurricane Irene were

NSTAR was not able to divulge exactly how many customers were without power on Monday, though some 200,000 state-wide were reportedly dealing with outages.

The power company said crews are working around the clock to restore power, though it could be several days before the lights are turned back on.

Westwood Patch will continue to bring coverage and updates through the week as it becomes available.