BOSTON (WHDH) - Tens of thousands of homes and businesses are without power after a record-breaking storm swept across the Bay State on Thursday, leaving behind a devastating trail of destruction.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported just under 60,000 outages as of 12:30 p.m. Friday.
The heaviest rain and peak gusts hit Massachusetts between midnight and 5 a.m., with spotty drizzle and light showers lingering throughout the morning.
The storm system broke low-pressure records for October in Boston. Wind gusts as strong as a tropical storm reached 90 mph on Cape Cod. Consistent gusts between 40 to 50 mph whipped most areas.
In Beverly, a 65-foot tree fell on David Johnson’s home, forcing him outside to keep warm by a fire.
“Two of my buddies showed up, we cleared it out, and still don’t have power but we have a fire going,” he told 7NEWS.
Rachael and William Corkum, also of Beverly, were sound asleep early Thursday morning when a tree was blown over onto the roof of their Brimbal Avenue home.
William suffered a head laceration caused by a branch that had pierced the roof. He underwent surgery at the hospital and said to be doing OK.
In Haverhill, a firefighter was rushed to the hospital after being shocked while fighting a blaze that was sparked by the potent storm that blew through the region.
Tree limbs snapped like toothpicks in Methuen as wind gusts roared overnight and throughout the day.
One of those limbs sliced through the roof of a home on Hidden Road and punctured a man’s bed.
On the South Shore, many cars were flattened like pancakes as trees fell in bunches.
In Duxbury and other coastal communities, fierce winds tossed wooden docks and small boats around like rag dolls.
There were no serious injuries reported across the state.
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