Cleanup continues a week after the town was hit by one of the most significant storms in decades.

All schools in Dartmouth closed last Wednesday as nearly half the town woke up without power and internet due to the October nor’easter.

At its peak, Eversource reported that 7,455 customers, 49.49% of town, were in the dark as the power company anticipated that residents would likely have to “prepare to be without power for multiple days.” By Thursday, only 15% remained without any electricity. Nearly all of Eversouce’s Dartmouth customers were powered up by Sunday.

During Tropical Storm Henri and Hurricane Ida this past summer, the town saw at most 10% of Eversource customers lose power.

“It was a stronger storm and created a lot more damage than those two storms put together,” Public Works Director Tim Barber said. “We knew there was going to be wind and rain, we didn’t know it was going to be this devastating as it was — it was a perfect storm.”

Due to the power outages, along with multiple road closures, classes were canceled at UMass Dartmouth and Dartmouth’s Public Schools for Oct. 27. Bishop Stang was closed for two days.

Transportation and programs at the Council on Aging were also canceled for the day, while offices at Town Hall had a two-hour opening delay.

Roads to Round Hill Beach and the Dartmouth Regional Park were closed through Friday. Cleanup remains ongoing at Jones Beach, outside the Council on Aging, and Russells Mills Landing according to Parks and Recreation Director Tim Lancaster.

Dartmouth Police reported that trees were down in a variety of locations in town, including Slocum Road at State Road, Old Westport Road at Chase Road, 88 Fisher Road and 211 High Hill Road. A tree also blocked the roadway at 323 Cross Road. 

Dartmouth resident Leo Ledoux witnessed one of the trees come down on a neighbor’s property on Hillcrest Street just before 9 a.m. Oct. 27.

“It came right down on the house and crushed their vehicle,” he noted. “Six-foot branches went through the kitchen ceiling.”

The Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust also reported many downed trees across its various properties. According to a Facebook post, staff and volunteers plan to spend the next two weeks cleaning up reserves and trails.

“With 40 miles of trails, it is going to take a while to clean up the entirety of them,” DNRT Outreach Coordinator Kendra Murray said. “We ask trail users to be patient as we continue to chainsaw and clear downed trees, limbs, and debris.”

Barber attributes most of the tree damage to the heavy rain that occurred before the high wind gusts.

“It made the leaves and trees heavy, saturating the roots and loosening the ground around the trees,” the DPW director said.

Those looking to dispose of their debris can do so at the DPW’s leaf and brush deposit area located at 759 Russells Mills Road, Barber said.

“There’s been constant traffic since the storm of vehicles bringing in brush, branches, and leaves,” he noted.

Barber said the DPW’s current focus is clearing the remaining branches that remain on top of some of the town’s power lines. Crews will also continue removing some of the larger tree trunks near the town’s roads over the coming days.

“There’s still a lot of trees out there that pose a threat,” Barber said. “We’re still going to be out there to make sure things are safe.”