More than two weeks after a pair of severe snowstorms, Northfield and Warwick are still cleaning up the damage.
In Northfield, Highway Superintendent Tom Walker said there is likely $100,000 worth of damage. Warwick Town Coordinator David Young does not have an estimate at this time for the damage in his town.
“We will know when the work gets done,” Young said. “It would not shock me to see that kind of expenditure to clean up this mess.”
Although Northfield declared a state of emergency, Warwick did not. Both towns will not receive relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, however, because they did not reach the threshold of damage per capita needed for funding, Young explained. Both towns intend to seek help from legislators in hopes of getting funding for repairs.
“This will take months to repair the damages,” Northfield Selectboard Chair Barbara “Bee” Jacque said at Tuesday’s board meeting.
Speaking with the Selectboard, Walker said that with heavy snow resting on the tops of trees and strong winds, trees were completely uprooted, falling on roads, power lines and streams.
Trees that fell on brooks diverted water directly into the roadways. In one case on Warwick Road, the Highway Department attempted to move the trees, but because the weather was warm enough to melt the snow, it resulted in high water levels. The Highway Department is still trying to move all the trees that are diverting waterways.
According to Walker, Warwick Road, Alexander Hill Road and Old Wendell Road sustained the most damage.
In Warwick, Young explained the storm was elevational, meaning the areas of town at higher elevations were hit particularly hard by the extreme weather.
“Portions of town were not affected and portions were devastated,” Young noted in regards to Warwick’s damage.
Walker said the power company came four times to the same location in some instances to fix downed wires as trees continued to fall.
Rustic Ridge, a community of homes in the northern part of Northfield, experienced downed power lines on typically unplowed roads. According to Walker, the power companies plowed roads in the area to get to the power lines in need of repair, but in doing so damaged the road with their heavy equipment.
Highway employees worked long hours in the direct aftermath of the storms, with Walker noting he worked a 100-hour week. In many instances, his crews would leave for the night and return one hour later after receiving a new call about fallen trees.
All roads in both Northfield and Warwick are now passable, but some only have one lane open and the roadsides are littered with debris that is being dealt with by the highway departments.
“If there is another storm coming,” Walker said, “we are in big trouble.”
Bella Levavi can be reached at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.