Storm worst disaster to hit Candia

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:40:00 GMT

BY TOBY HENRY

Candia Selectmen Chairman Fred Kelley said on Monday, Dec. 15, that the recent ice storm is one of the worst disasters to strike the town in recent memory.

“A few years ago we had another storm that was pretty bad, but I’ve never seen anything as extreme as this,” he said in his Raymond Road car repair shop. “Honestly, I think this is worse that the storm of ’98.”

In the initial hours after the storm began the night of Thursday, Dec. 11, dozens of trees and wires were felled by heavy ice as the town plunged into darkness. The next morning, Candia was still without power, with the exception of residents who had their own generators, and road crews began the difficult process of opening the town’s roads back up.

At the peak of the storm’s damage on Friday morning, firefighters said more than a dozen Candia roads had been closed due to fallen tress, but local Emergency Management Director Bob Panit said most roads were at least “passable” by noon that day.

Firefighter Rick Ducharme said on Saturday, Dec. 13, that many of his fellow emergency responders had been working since 11:30 the previous night to make sure the roads would allow at least one lane of traffic through.

“Pretty much every major road had some kind of moderate to severe problem,” he said. “Since about 1 a.m. (on Friday), we’ve had over 40 calls for service.”

Although officials reported that tree-related damage appeared minor, there were a few close calls. A large tree in the front of Henry Moore School narrowly missed the building, and nearby, another tree fell clear of the Candia House of Pizza, clipping a gutter on the way down.

The widespread loss of power still persisted on Monday morning, Dec. 15, but Fire Chief Rudy Cartier said that power was available in some areas of town by the close of the weekend.

Along Old Candia Road, most of the street lamps were still dark at 7 p.m., but the sign for Ace Hardware shone like a beacon along the otherwise dark roadway, and the lights were also on at the Candia House of Pizza. By that time, all of Candia’s roads were open. Cartier said that although a shelter had been opened at the Moore School as of Friday, Dec. 12, only one resident had needed a place to stay, and the shelter was shut down by Sunday evening.

Residents who needed a place to stay were referred to shelters in Deerfield and Raymond, he said.

Kelley said on Monday afternoon, Dec. 15, that Road Agent Dennis Lewis and his crew were still out clearing away fallen roadside trees. He warned that although the situation in Candia was not as bad as it was just 72 hours earlier, hanging tree limbs can still pose a threat.

“The big problem I’ve seen is that people have got to slow down, especially on the back roads, because limbs are still falling,” he said.

At noon on Monday, Kelley said power could still be out for portions of town for the next three to five days.

Candia News : electricity

Storm worst disaster to hit Candia