Massachusetts National Guard soldiers assisting Duxbury with welfare checks after blizzard
Massive piles of heavy, wet snow surround roads across Duxbury after Monday's blizzard buried the town in feet of snow and prompted a response from the Massachusetts National Guard.
Duxbury Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Rob Reardon said the heavy snow packed roads have strained plow crews and first responders during one of the busiest weeks he can remember.
"Normally an average day is 10 to 12 calls a day but we're easily tripling that 30, 50 calls a day," Reardon said. "Gas leaks, carbon monoxide leaks, numerous calls that you see during a storm like this, and [our firefighters] have honestly run hundreds of them."
Massachusetts Army National Guard soldiers have been assisting in the town, helping with welfare checks on seniors and reaching residents in hard-to-access areas.
"A lot of our vehicles are able to traverse some pretty tough terrain and that includes some heavy snow and ice," said LTC. Russell O'Neill. "We were able to assist the fire department in getting to some hard to access areas to either check on or help evacuate residents that needed assistance."
Local officials say the support has been critical. One soldier even helped repair a generator that a dispatch center was relying on during the blizzard.
"We're here to support the Commonwealth for as long as we're needed," added O'Neill.
"They've been running calls with us, getting through snow drifts, helping people get out of houses, clearing paths, incredible," Reardon added.
The response has been an all-hands-on effort as the town works to recover some sense of normalcy. Reardon says they've upped staffing through the week and have hired additional contractors to help with snow removal in the town.
Residents say progress on clearing roads and restoring electricity has helped, along with sunshine that is beginning to melt the towering snow piles. As of Thursday evening, just 1% of Duxbury electric customers remained without power.
Resident Diane Lilly has been shoveling her driveway for days, and crews were just recently able to plow her road for the first time.
"My goal when I retired was to go to Aruba and rake the sand. I didn't do it. I should have," Lilly laughed.