Currier: Merrimack is Ready for Sandy

Right around 3 p.m., Hurricane Sandy started to kick things up in Merrimack. Wind speeds started increasing trees and limbs started falling and the calls on the scanner started picking up speed.

However, PSNH is out and working quickly to restore power and police and fire are busily responding to downed trees and power lines. Even passing motorists are helping.

Three passing motorists hopped out of their cars to roll a large tree that came down on Manchester Road near the bridge at Pennichuck Pond out of the street. By the time police and a highway truck arrived, the tree was on the side of the road with a blanket of pine needles covering the street. The mess was cleaned up within 20 minutes, according to a scanner report.

Earlier this afternoon, Emergency Management Director Michael Currier felt confident that Merrimack was ready to do battle with Hurricane Sandy.

Currier said he has attended daily noontime meetings with the state Emergency Operations Center since Friday and they met at 8 a.m. this morning and will meet again tonight at 6 p.m.

Currier warned that the worst of Sandy is upon us, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. tonight, with the possibility of wind gusts between 50 and 70 mph.

"Winds are expected to diminish to gusts about 25 to 30 mph between 9 and midnight," Currier said.

He said he expects there to be outages, but hopes they will not be as widespread as last year's "Snowtober" storm.

Stay connected with Patch. Be sure to download our App for your iPhone, sign up for our breaking news alerts, "like" Merrimack Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

LIVE BLOG: Hurricane Sandy Bears Down on NH

Seven Ways to Stay Connected During Hurricane Sandy

PHOTOS: Hurricane Sandy in Merrimack

Tell Us: Where Are Merrimack's Trouble Spots?

Currier said the town has been working with PSNH and home owners around town to trim back branches on main arteries through town.

He said heavy trimming has been done on Baboosic Lake, Amherst, Wire and Bedford roads.

"I feel pretty confident that were going to have outages but that they aren't going to be long," Currier said.

And hopefully what's been seen so far is true. Readers have reported on Facebook that power was out on Bean Road, Woodward Road  and Packard Drive, who then reported that power had come back on within 30 minutes to an hour.

Merrimack Police are encouraging residents to report outages immediately to PSNH in an effort to get power restored as soon as possible. This  can be done by calling 1-800-662-7764 or report it online at PSNH.com.

As far as other concerns, Currier said he doesn't expect rivers to flood. The Souhegan was at about 2.93 feet but the stage at which action should be taken is 8 feet. The Souhegan is projected to peak at 4 feet between Tuesday and Thursday.

Similarly, the Merrimack River was running at 5.2 feet with an action stage of 10 feet. Currier said the river is expected to peak at 7.3 feet between Tuesday and Thursday. It is possible that both rivers could crest higher during the weekend as water makes its way down from up north, Currier said.

As far as emergency personnel, Currier said the police have brough on extra dispatchers and more patrolmen to answer calls. Police, fire and DPW all have employees on call throughout the storm as well.

Currier said the Merrimack Village District earned a grant to buy a huge generator that will allow them to keep Merrimack water customers connected in the event of a power outage.

For people needing shelter, Currier said the library was planning to stay open as long as it could for people to rest and recharge. A Red Cross emergency shelter has been set up at Nashua High School South for those seeking a long-term solution and if necessary, a warming center will be opened at the John O'Leary Adult Community Center.

Currier urged residents to heed Gov. John Lynch's warning to stay off the roads during Hurricane Sandy's peak, between 3 and 9 p.m. and to stay away from downed wires or trees touching wires. You never know when a downed wire might become live again.

All in all, Currier felt good about handling the storm.

"I think we're ready," he said.

Find all of Merrimack Patch's coverage of Hurricane Sandy here.