DENNIS, Mass. – Many Cape Cod residents faced a second night without electricity after a powerful storm brought high winds and dumped up to 18 inches of snow.
NStar spokesman Barry Salvucci said about 8,000 customers scattered across Cape Cod (search) remained without power early Tuesday morning. Crews worked through the night and the utility hoped to restore power to most customers later in the day.
Several Cape Cod towns opened temporary shelters for those who lost power. Harwich police said only about four people were at the shelter in the town's Community Center on Monday night.
Carl Rideout of Mashpee, homebound with health problems, turned on his oven and reinforced his mobile home with plastic sheets to retain as much heat as possible.
"I listened to the radio in the morning and the visiting nurse came by this afternoon — she had to hop over a snowbank and wade through 15 inches of snow to get in here," Rideout told the Cape Cod Times on Monday. "I'm not bored and I'm not lonely. But I will sure be glad when that power gets back on."
The Cape's only homeless shelter, NOAH (search) shelter in Hyannis, housed between 50 and 60 people Sunday night and expected a similar number Monday night as temperatures dipped into the teens, said Livia Davis of Housing Assistance Corp., which runs the shelter.
Shannon Steele, proud new owner of a $1,000 snow blower, tried to stay positive about moving here from Florida two weeks ago, only to get buried with the rest of Cape Cod under 18 inches of snow.
"This is better than hurricanes," said Steele, 36, who bought his snow blower Monday morning after watching his son try to shovel their driveway. "I've got a 14-year-old boy who was out there bitterly cold with the Florida blood. I figured this was the best thing for him."
The powerful coastal storm — the first of the winter — began Sunday and left thousands of residents across eastern Massachusetts digging out and stranded travelers before winding down on Monday.
Brewster, on Cape Cod, had 18 inches, while 17 inches fell in Rowley, about 30 miles northeast of Boston. Boston had about 10 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
Boston's Logan International Airport (search) closed one of its runways for a time, causing dozens of flight delays and cancellations, airport spokesman Phil Orlandella said.
Boston and other communities declared snow emergencies, implementing parking restrictions. Boston towed about 200 cars that violated parking restrictions and issued 2,800 tickets.
Drifting snow limited visibility on the roads and police reported dozens of traffic accidents, including a fatal crash on Route 2 in Leominster early Sunday afternoon that killed Valerie Ledger, 48, of Hubbardston.
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