Hurricane Sandy

We bring you an update on Hurricane Sandy and its impact on the Granite State and the region.   The Northeast is expecting major damage from a confluence of enormous weather events.  We’ll hear from emergency officials, power companies, reporters in bordering states and your stories as well.

Guests

• Sam Evans Brown - Reporter for NHPR who is covering Hurricane Sandy's progress.

We'll also hear from

Compared to what the remnants of Hurricane Sandy did to the rest of the state the North Country appeared to have made it through the night in good shape.

But the National Weather Service continued a flood warning for the Pemigewasset River at Woodstock and the Saco River in Conway.

The weather service was predicting continued rain today with one to three inches in the mountains.

It’s looking pretty good, New Hampshire DOT spokesman Bill Boynton says, despite the many roads still closed because of fallen trees.  At least as far as infrastructure goes, there are no reports of major damage. Boynton says he was worried that sustained heavy rain would turn little brooks into raging torrents.

It’s that kind of speed along with gravity that can take its toll on culverts and roats and if it gets over the road it can compromise the road quickly and you can get severe washouts.

Hurricane Sandy brought commerce to a halt across the state today. Some economists will say hurricanes like Sandy produce enough economic activity to create a net gain. But they may not be taking into consideration what is known as The Broken Window Fallacy.

Updated Power Outage Information: (Oct. 31, 5:40 p.m.)

Total: 42,586

PSNH: 37,506, Unitil: 574, Liberty Utilities: 346, NH Electric Coop: 4,160

Businesses in Manchester faced the question of whether or not to close up shop as Sandy continued to pummel the Granite State.

Utility companies are working to restore power to more than 160,000 customers. But the process is not simple.

Many in the North Country fretted and prepared for a battering by Sandy, however by about 11 p.m. that hadn't happened.

There was some gusty wind and rain, but nothing like rigors the rest of the state was experiencing.

Public Service of New Hampshire reported about 135,000 customers without power - mostly in the southern part of the state - but only about 300 lost power north of the notches.

They included 91 in Lancaster; 94 in Northumberland; 45 in Jefferson and 39 in Whitefield.

As of 7pm Monday night, parts of 129 municipal roads and 19 state roads are closed due to fallen trees and other obstructions.  The closures run from the Lakes Region, South.

Jim VanDongen at the Office of Emergency Management says Granite Staters should be aware of potential road closures in the morning:

This is going to continue all night and people just need to be aware there’s a possibility that roads will be closed and obviously they will be blocked with barricades and that sort of thing.

Road closures as of 5:30 pm

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has prepared for Hurricane Sandy.  There are three ships on the premises now. The Shipyard’s commander, Captain Bryant Fuller, says two of them are safe from Sandy in their dry dock.   Bryant says one ship -- the ex-USS Memphis -- is tied to the pier, and exposed to the elements: 

As Hurricane Sandy makes its way northward, Amtrak service in New Hampshire has shut down. 

Amtrak’s Downeaster line connects Northern New England to Boston.  Passenger Rail Authority Executive Director Patricia Quinn says the agency was forced to shut down service early this afternoon. 

“There was a train, left Boston at 1:00 this afternoon, got as far as Lawrence, Massachusetts, there were wires down, and that train actually had to return back to Boston."

All Things Considered host Brady Carlson talks with Governor John Lynch about the state's preparations for Hurricane Sandy.