When a Storm Hits, Hingham May be the Best Place to Be

As hurricane season comes to an end, and the winter blizzards will approach in the up and coming months, the Town of Hingham is well prepared for any storm that may hit town.

Hurricane Irene stormed up the East Coast last month and slammed into the South Shore, knocking out power in thousands of households. But many neighboring towns were not able to restore power as quick as Hingham. 

In Hingham, a t lost power that day and all but 50 homes were restored that very night.  This wasn’t the same for towns like Marshfield, Duxbury, Kingston and Scituate who faced power outages for up to five days after the Tropical Storm hit. According to the Boston Globe, a  total of 25,000 customers were still without power on the South Shore two days after Irene struck.  Hingham residents were spared of  the long lasting blackouts that ruined the last week of summer vacation for most South Shore families.

Hingham’s success when dealing with storms can be attributed to their efficient and .  Hingham is unique and is one of the only South Shore towns with their own Municiple Lighting Plant.  So how did they restore power in one day for their residents?

It was hard work and a team effort, Paul Heanue, the General Manager of said. Every employee of the Hingham Municipal lighting Plant came into work that Sunday.

“Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant employees rose to the occasion,”  Henue said. “We left our homes and left our families at the height of the storm.”

DPW Superintendent Randy Sylvester believes the town handled Irene so well because they planned ahead.

The Wednesday before the storm, the Hingham DPW was already inquiring on a tree removal company and signed proposals for the tree crews before rain even fell.  The day of the storm, DPW crews were clearing sewer drains as early as 7 a.m.  They had tree-removal companies dispatched at all areas of town, and when trees fell and blocked the roads, they were removed quickly.

When wires needed to be repaired, the DPW would follow the Hingham Municipal Light Company and clear trees.

“I think the DPW does a great job during a state of an emergency,” Sylvester said.  “The employees put forth a great effort on keeping the roads clear."

Blackouts during a storm like Irene may never be preventable with the number of trees in town, but it is proven that the Town of Hingham will always be prepared to take precaution and rise to the occasion quicker than most nearby communities.