Fierce winds knock down power lines

In terms of the police blotter, it was a relatively quiet Easter weekend with the exception of downed wires due to high winds around town Saturday.Down wires blocked off Route 107 Southbound?s Marsh Road for eight hours Saturday.According to Saugus Asst. Chief Lt. Ronald Giorgetti, it?s a good thing it happened Saturday and not on Easter Sunday.?Commuters had to make appropriate detours in order to reach their destination,” Giorgetti said.?We also had to redirect traffic, which was already traveling on Route 107.?If this happened on Easter, it would have caused a greater inconvenience to the general public, especially with people traveling to visit family.”Giorgetti estimated wind gusts were 15 to 20 miles per hour with possible gusts up to 40 miles per hour when he last saw the forecast.?The crew arrived with National Grid and Verizon on the southbound side at 2:45 p.m. and power was secured at 3:50 p.m.,” Giorgetti said. “Then, they repaired the poles.”There were other poles down around town, including 10 Whittier Ave. at 1:33 p.m. Wires were also down a few minutes later at 1:36 p.m. at 120 Essex St. and at 2:25 p.m. on the Salem Turnpike.There was report of a motor vehicle accident with non-fatal injuries at 177 Winter St. at 10:19 p.m., where a car crashed into a pole, requiring a replacement of the pole. Poles ranged from being cracked in half to another leaning 15 feet off the ground, against the guardrail.?It depends on the severity of the winds,” he said. “I don?t think we had advance notice of a wind advisory.”Since Route 107 South heads into Revere, Revere also saw its fair share of activity.According to Revere?s Lt. Michael McLaughlin, two wires or poles were down Saturday – at 1:58 p.m. on Fenno Street and 3:46 p.m. on School Street.?It?s not that many for such a windy day,” McLaughlin said.According to dispatcher Christopher Stewart, the number can vary depending on how big the poles are.?It is what it is,” Stewart said.?No one is going to run Mother Nature.”According to Lynn Police Lt. Glenn Dunnigan, Lynn had four to five wires down, but unlike Saugus, the roads didn?t have to be blocked off.?Cruisers stood by to make sure no one ran over them, but most of the call volume we received were relating to heavy traffic,” Dunnigan said.Tara Vocino may be reached at [email protected].