Rep. Linda Campbell recently sent a letter to the governor with some information about the December ice storm to help Methuen in acquiring FEMA support. Included in the letter — which was shared with The Eagle-Tribune — were some interesting facts:
- Current exposure costs for the city of Methuen are likely to be over $400,000.
- At one point, more than 80% of Methuen was without power – including schools, municipal buildings and businesses.
- A Red Cross Emergency shelter which serviced Methuen as well as North Andover was opened.
- The city was required to execute a mandatory evacuation of Methuen Housing Authority Residents due to power outages which lasted several days. The Methuen Housing Authority is a state facility.
- The city had five water main breaks in 24 hours
- Flooding was substantial, and basements were pumped around the clock and multiple times
- Water treatment and water storage facilities were on city back-up generators.
Noah R. Bombard is the new media editor for The Eagle-Tribune in North Andover. He is a former award-winning newspaper and magazine editor who has been covering news in Massachusetts since 1997.