Andover postpones Halloween and closes schools after storm
No goblins, ghouls, or witches will be going door-to-door trick-or-treating in Andover Tuesday, despite the fact that children will have the day off from school.
Halloween festivities have been postponed and schools will be closed as the town continues to clean up after Sunday’s powerful storm, town officials announced during a press conference Monday afternoon.
The decision to close schools “is never made lightly,’’ said Superintendent Sheldon Berman, but with downed power lines and other debris blocking roads, “our children’s safety is paramount.
“It’s very important that children stay off the roads,’’ he said. “We encourage parents to keep children home so that they are safe.’’
Town officials said they hope to celebrate Halloween Friday, and that an announcement will come soon.
As of 11 p.m., nearly 80 percent of Andover remained without power, Town Manager Andrew P. Flanagan said in an e-mail, including most schools, one fire station, and town offices.
“It’s our understanding that it most likely will not go down overnight,’’ he wrote in an e-mail to the Globe.
Andover police received more than 100 calls reporting trees blocking roadways and more than 40 phone calls reporting trees fallen on power lines, according to Police Chief Patrick Keefe. No injuries have been reported.
Keefe cautioned residents that it could be up to 72 hours until what appears to be the primary source of the electrical power — 33 high-tension lines damaged throughout the Merrimack Valley — is fixed.
“This is not an estimate or a complete power restoration on a local level,’’ Keefe said. “That may take more time, that might take less time.’’
The Cormier Youth Center and the Memorial Hall Library will open at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. respectively to serve as charging stations for residents, Keefe said,
Also, due to the storm, Andover’s property tax deadline was extended until Nov. 7 “without penalty with the understanding that we may not be able to process without electricity,’’ Flanagan said.
Meals on Wheels has been called in to assist and check on elderly residents, according to officials.
Flanagan praised the town’s response not just to the storm, but also to a tractor-trailer chemical fire that closed lanes on Interstate 495 Monday afternoon. As of 11 p.m., two northbound lanes remained closed, according to Massachusetts Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jacquelyn Goddard.
“Andover was hit twice today,’’ Flanagan said. “. . . while today has been difficult, the hard work of our residents and town employees has already made a difference.’’
Sunday’s hurricane-force wind gusts and soaking rain brought flooding to parts of New England. Nearly 1.5 million people were left without power after the storm, including more than 300,000 in the state.
