Police are beefing up coverage in the heavy-hit East Forest Park and Sixteen Acres neighborhoods.
City and state police and other emergency personnel gather during a shift change Friday morning at the emergency command center that has been set up in the parking lot at Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.SPRINGFIELD – Police have been dealing with sporadic break-ins, but not widespread looting, as the city and its residents continue to deal with devastated streets and neighborhoods.
“There have been no reports of widespread looting,” Sgt. John M. Delaney said. “In that aspect we are doing really good.”
Police arrested several backpack-wearing suspects Thursday in the South End, Delaney said.
Delaney said, meanwhile, the police department is “dedicating manpower” to the beleaguered East Forest Park and Sixteen Acres neighborhoods, where many residents remain without power.
Western Massachusetts Electric Co. reported that nearly 4,500 Springfield customers remained without power on Friday morning.
National Grid, meanwhile, reports over 4,000 East Longmeadow customers remained without power Friday.
Fire Department spokesman Dennis G. Leger said the department has nearly completed a secondary search of the devastated areas.
Dozens of Springfield residents were evacuated from an apartment building at 175 Maple St. over structural concerns.
Dozens of Springfield residents were evacuated from this apartment building at 175 Maple St. on Friday morning due to structural concerns.Residents, using a rear parking lot as a staging area, could be seen strapping mattresses onto vehicle roofs, loading bags and boxes of clothing and other items.
Police said the residents were told to be out of the four-story complex by noon.
Residents said part of the building’s roof is missing and that the sky can be seen from the fourth floor.
Delaney said Main Street, from Margaret to Broad streets, remains closed for clean-up operations and likely will be for some time.
Other major thoroughfares, primarily in the East Forest Park and Sixteen Acres neighborhoods, include: Plumtree Road, from Wilbraham Road to Bradley Road; South Branch Parkway, from General Edwards Bridge to PlumTree; Abbott Street from Allen Street to Plumtree; Parker Street, from Wilbraham Road to Cooley Street.
Numerous side streets in the East Forest Park neighborhood, including those off upper Allen Street and South Branch Parkway, also remain closed, Delaney said.
Island Pond Road is now open, he said.
Thomas Walsh, spokesman for Mayor Domenic Sarno, said that the city has set staging areas for the temporary storage of tree debris and brush at Kiley Middle School, Cathedral High School and the old York Street jail. Those sites are for municipal use only, he said.