The governor praised leaders of state agencies for preparing for the storm, which knocked out power to about 400,000 electric utility customers in the state at its height on Monday
Gov. Deval L. Patrick said today that the state "was very, very fortunate" to escape Hurricane Sandy with no extensive or serious damage to roads or other infrastructure.
State offices, except for emergency personnel, opened on Tuesday after being closed on Monday for the storm.
Patrick praised leaders of state agencies for preparing for the storm, which knocked out power to about 400,000 electric utility customers in the state at its height on Monday.
"Frankly by comparison to some of our neighbors, we are blessed," Patrick told reporters in Revere, a coastal community north of Boston that had minor damage.
"There isn’t any one part of the state where there is real devastation – again that’s a blessing," Patrick said. "I’ve had reports from all over the state, but it’s mostly isolated kinds of things."
During a press conference at state emergency management headquarters in Framingham, Patrick said electric utilities were making progress in restoring power. With the winds died down and the storm virtually over, he said "now is the time" for the utilities to perform.
"I love you all but you have been asking me if the utilities have been successful since before the storm started," Patrick told a reporter. "Now is the time for the utility companies to show us their performance, and more to the point, to show their customers their performance."
The Western Massachusetts Electric Co., which serves 59 communities in the region, said 7,872 customers, or 3 percent of its total, were without power as of 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, the company's website said.
National Grid, which serves 168 cities and towns including Belchertown, Palmer, Northampton and Wilbraham and other communities in Western Massachusetts, said that 148,575 customers had lost power as of a little past 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to its website.
Patrick said damage is getting cleaned up, but the state was fortunate because no devastation resulted from the storm. "It turned out OK on the whole," the governor said. "I'm relieved, that's for sure."