"Holding our own" after mammoth snowstorm, Mass. governor says
(CBS News)Despite getting pummeled by the brunt of a record-setting winter storm this weekend that dumped several feet of snow across the Northeast, Massachusetts came through "pretty well," Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., said today on "Face the Nation." Officials hope to have restored most of the state's power and public transit "in time... for tomorrow morning's commute," he added.
At least five deaths have been linked to the snowstorm that descended overnight Friday, including an 11-year-old boy in Boston who was overcome by carbon monoxide while sitting in a running car to keep warm while his father shoveled snow. But Patrick counted as a "blessing" the fact that no serious injuries have been reported out of some coastal flooding the state saw Saturday.
"We're holding our own," Patrick said. "We have about 240,000 customers without power, that's down from a high of about 400,000 yesterday; about 1,000 people in shelters; some coastal damage. But considering the severity of the storm, the amount of snow and the wind, we've come through this pretty well."
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Patrick said he expects to have restored power to most customers in the next several days and is "trying to make sure that public transit is fully functioning in time for... tomorrow morning's commute," he said. But he doesn't "even want to think about" reports that another behemoth storm is making its way toward the region, he added.
"I've heard we may get a Valentine's Day storm," Patrick said. "I'll tell you what's more concerning in the shorter run is that we may get rain tomorrow - warmer temperatures, which would be great, but rain on top of snow that is so far pretty light on flat roofs and so forth can be a hazard. We're encouraging people, as they can do so safely, to use snow rakes and so forth and start to move the snow off of their roofs."
Though it's "too soon" to say what resources he'll request from the federal government, Patrick said he's grateful for the coordination between local and federal emergency agencies.
The federal government has "been great," Patrick said. "Our fellow governors in neighboring states have sent equipment and people to help as well, which is most welcome and appreciated. We have really, really terrific coordination by our own state emergency management with all of the state agencies, local agencies and the federal government.
"So I think it's too soon to say exactly what we need from the federal government," he continued, "but they continue to check in and have routinely to make sure that we have what we need as we go along."
