Londonderry News

By the time Thursday, December 18, 2008 came, there was still about 13% of PSNH customers who were without electricity. Although there were only about 41,000 customers powerless, a major decrease from the original 322,000 plus just after the storm, PSNH was still predicting that it could take several more days to those who got hit with the hardest of the ice storm. This area included Londonderry, Nashua, Derry and Milford. It was estimated that there were still approximately 2,162 Londonderry customers with no power.

PSNH was able to begin giving more specific details and dates of when they believed power was to restored to Londonderry residents. In a Town Press Release given that day, it stated that the “information is provided by PSNH, and will be subject to change depending upon weather conditions and other factors encountered in the field…” South Londonderry, and parts of Windham and Hudson, still had about 4,506 customers without power and PSNH could not give an estimated date of restoration. It also read, “Power in the Apollo/Wiley Hill/Peabody/Meadow/Constitution and surrounding areas, 849 customers, no restoration date.” The Hardy, Sanborn, Stonehenge area of town still had about 306 customers without power and a restoration date of December 18. The Coteville Road area was down to only about 40 customers and had a date of December 17. In an update from Senator Elect Sharon Carson, PSNH looked hopeful that Londonderry would be restored by midnight on Friday.

While there were still more than 725 line, contract and tree-cutting crews throughout New Hampshire, only about 20 were working throughout Londonderry. Some of these crews were from Canada, others Ohio and Maryland. Residents still found themselves asking, “Where’s Watty?” One author in an article published that day wrote, “The PSNH trucks are nowhere to be found….” She went on to say, “…..someone said they saw a whole fleet of trucks in town – at the 99 restaurant. The point is, I don’t want false hope, I, like those in my neighborhood, just want the truth.”

Another Winter Storm Warning was announced on this day, predicting heavy snow for Londonderry, and others in southern New Hampshire and Maine. What began as a warning of the possibility of 6 to 8 inches of snow was later upgraded to a warning of 6 to 10 inches. The snow was supposed to begin at noon Friday and continue until after midnight. Although PSNH was tracking the storm and the crews were trained to work in all weather, there was still the concern that “The pace of restoration could potentially be affected due to travel and visibility issues related to heavier snowfall.”

Due to the fact that there were still many without power throughout Londonderry, and the storm was supposed to hit mid-day Friday, the Superintendent of Schools decided to cancel school for Friday. In a letter written by Nathan S. Greenburg, he stated that schools would reopen on Monday. He went on to say that many had inquired about the days that would have to be made up and if they would be waived. “We will ask for a waiver, however the number of days will depend on the State and the number of snow days we have for the remainder of the year,” he wrote.

If you would like to leave a comment on this article, feel free to do so. We’d love to hear your memories of this day in history.

To read any of the articles written on December 18, 2008, follow these links:

Online Power Outage Reporting A short statement letting those without power know to submit an online form to PSNH registering their power outage.

Town Press Release Includes shelter information, contact information for volunteering, a PSNH update, and a summary of the towns initial response to the ice storm. Click to find out how Londonderry handled the situation on that first morning.

Letter from the Superintendent A letter written by Nathan S. Greenburg regarding the schools and their closures. Find out what he had to say.

The Ice Storm An article about the storm written by one of the residents and her personal experiences and opinions about the storm. Discover what she said about PSNH.

A Confirmed Watty Sighting A brief statement saying that 2 crews were spotted in town and poses the question, “Are there more?” 29 comments were made on this. Click to find out what residents were saying.

Supplying the Crews of PSNH Includes a video taken on December 15 regarding the resupplying process. Click to watch the video and find out how many supplies PSNH actually used.

Senator Elect Carson’s Update An update from Sharon Carson, after her speaking with the Vice President of PSNH. Find out what the prediction for restoration was.

Latest from PSNH An article about the restoration efforts and how the weather may affect them. Click to find out what PSNH said.

Heavy Snow Warning for Londonderry A Winter Storm Warning for Londonderry and southern New Hampshire and Maine. Find out where the storm moved in from.