Hurricane Sandy: Braintree Info Center

UPDATE Oct. 30 1 p.m.: Despite the prayers of Braintree students on Twitter, Hurricane Sandy leaves little damage in town and schools opened today. The emergency shelter also went unused.

A final wrap-up here: http://braintree.patch.com/articles/braintree-avoids-serious-hurricane-problems-school-busing-goes-smoothly

*****     *****     ****

Info on power outages Monday in Braintree here: http://braintree.patch.com/articles/beld-restores-power-to-1-000-braintree-customers-affected-by-sandy

Tuesday post-Sandy photos here: http://braintree.patch.com/articles/damage-scattered-but-relatively-minor-in-braintree-after-hurricane-sandy#photo-11953235

UPDATE Oct. 30 7:30 a.m.: Braintree looks pretty clear so far. Quincy Avenue, the Watson Park neighborhood, Smith Beach, Weymouth Landing, Liberty Street and the Highlands neighborhood so far look OK, with Highlands appearing to have been hit fairly hard with scattered branches and tipped over basketball hoops all over.

Braintree Patch will update with more info asap. Students are headed to school now. Remember, no trash pickup today. It has been pushed back further into the week.

The South Shore Plaza announced that it will open today.

The MBTA is running, but agency officials say to expect delays. More details here: http://www.mbta.com/weather.

Did you experience serious damage in Braintree? Power still out? Email info and photos to joseph.markman@patch.com.

*****     *****     *****

UPDATE 8:25 p.m.: As of right now, Braintree schools will be open on Tuesday. Patch will bring you the latest if that changes tonight.

BELD, though, does have an update for tonight:

"Due to Hurricane Sandy storm coverage on channel 5, 'Dancing with the Stars' can be seen tonight on MeTV, BELD Broadband channel 75."

The electric department is reporting a few outages around Braintree right now, but nothing widespread.

*****     *****     *****

UPDATE 4:45 p.m.: Middle Street from Union to Cleveland will be closed while crews clean up downed wires and trees, according to the Braintree police.

Also, WBZ has a photo of a large tree down in Braintree: http://twitpic.com/b8l44t.

Erin Shannon on Twitter reports that 93 North in Braintree is deserted: pic.twitter.com/CTItZTkb

*****     *****     *****

UPDATE 4:30 p.m.: Chief of Staff and Operations Peter Morin provides a Hurricane Sandy update Monday afternoon:

"Mayor Sullivan is with DPW personnel, assessing storm damage and directing the town’s response. We have had some power outages in the Mayflower Road, Pilgrim Stetson Ave. area. A tree fell on Frederick Road damaging a chimney on one home and knocking out power to two homes. There are also trees down on West Street, Pond Street and Hollis Ave. Heavier winds will arrive in the next several hours as we enter the height of the storm."

More info on Braintree's emergency shelter, response center and trash pickups here: http://patch.com/A-zdjq

BELD reports on Twitter: "There are sporadic outages throughout town now. Crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible. Tx for your patience!"

Mark Belton, also on Twitter, reports that Howard and Shaw streets are flooded.

*****     *****     *****

UPDATE 2 p.m.: As of right now, no decision has been made on Braintree school closings for Tuesday, Superintendent Dr. Peter Kurzberg says. Schools are open tomorrow unless parents are notified otherwise.

The School Committee scheduled for Monday night has been cancelled.

*****     *****     *****

UPDATE 1:05 p.m.: Training for Ballot Clerks and Tellers scheduled for today has been cancelled and will be rescheduled, according to the town website.

Also, Quincy District Court is closed today because of Hurricane Sandy.

*****     *****     *****

UPDATE 11:10 a.m.: From the Plaza on Facebook:

"Due to the anticipated impact of Hurricane Sandy, South Shore Plaza will be closing at 1:00 pm as a precautionary measure to help ensure the safety of our shoppers, retailers and mall employees. More information regarding the re-opening of South Shore Plaza will be provided as soon as it becomes available."

This also means the Town Council meeting scheduled at 6 p.m. today at the Apple Store for iPad training has been cancelled. It will be rescheduled, but no date has been set yet, Council Clerk Jim Casey reports.

*****     *****     *****

UPDATE 9:10 a.m.: On Twitter, BELD reports that ESPN "may have complete signal loss for an extended time today & tomorrow on any of their networks due to Hurricane Sandy."

Bin Ends reports that because of the storm they will close at 3 p.m. today.

Report your business openings or closings to the community through Braintree Patch. Comment below or email joseph.markman@patch.com.

South Shore Plaza is open for now, per Facebook:

"We are closely monitoring the path of Hurricane Sandy, including warnings issued by local authorities. At this time, South Shore Plaza is open and operating under its regular business hours. Should that change, more information will be posted as soon as it becomes available."

*****     *****     *****

See a tree down next door? See a flooded road? Please use this story on Braintree Patch to help communite with your community and neighbors.
 
As we hunker down to ride out Hurricane Sandy, we want to make sure that Braintree stays connected. For live updates during the storm, be sure to download our App for your smartphone or tablet and 'like' Braintree Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

As you use social media, we’ll make sure the information is added to this central article. If you see damaged wires or a tree down, please alert authorities and then let us know so we can help as well. You can comment below or email joseph.markman@patch.com.

Important numbers and websites:

• In an emergency, dial 911
• Police Department: 781-794-8600
• Fire Department: 781-843-3600
• DPW: 781-843-8097
• Comcast: 1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278)
• Verizon: 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966)
• BELD: 781-348-2353
• Braintree Emergency Management Agency: 781-794-8188
• MBTA Service updates