Gov. Patrick touring storm-battered South Shore

SCITUATE, Mass. (State House News Svce.) - With about 100,000 homes in the dark for a third midwinter day, Gov. Deval Patrick toured extensive blizzard of 2013 damage on the South Shore Monday morning and declared ongoing power restoration efforts “pretty good,” while expressing concern for families spending “prolonged periods” in homes where indoor temperatures have been diving towards the freezing mark.

At Scituate High School, where he was accompanied by emergency management officials and Reps. James Cantwell (D-Marshfield) and Garrett Bradley (D-Hingham), Patrick said he’d witnessed snapped telephone poles, downed trees, damaged sea walls and “extraordinary amounts” of debris in coastal towns.

Thanking residents for their patience, Patrick acknowledged the hardships in towns without power, where the temperatures in homes have fallen below 40 degrees causing homeowners to be concerned about their pipes freezing and bursting.

“I know it’s been many days without power,” Patrick said.

The governor estimated power had been restored over the past 72 hours to 300,000 homes across Massachusetts, with 100,000 more still waiting for crews to bring their homes back on line.

Asked his opinion of the pace of power restoration efforts, Patrick, comparing it to the efforts in the wake of last October’s storm, said, “On the whole, it’s pretty good,” but added, “If you’re the one without power, it’s not going fast enough.”

Patrick said he was “very concerned” about the public safety issues facing families living in cold homes, and highlighted the availability of emergency shelters.