Thousands remain without power as localized flooding affects parts of Massachusetts

Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Thousands of customers were still without power in Massachusetts on Sunday as parts of the Bay State experience localized flooding.

Middlesex and Essex County bore the brunt of the thunderstorms that moved along the coast earlier in the weekend. Nearly 9,000 customers lost electricity in Essex County alone.

Cleanup continues with about 1,000 workers from National Grid dispersed across the affected area to get power back on. Meanwhile, flash flood warnings were issued for several areas Sunday, including Plymouth and Norfolk County, Boston 25 reported.

"Our crews have been working around the clock since Friday afternoon, and we will remain on the job as long as it takes to restore service to every customer," Tim Moore, vice president for National Grid's electric operations for New England, said in a statement.

"We understand, however, that success is measured by each customer having service and we will not slow down until that has been accomplished."

National Grid says it restored power for 63,000 customers. It estimated that about 16,000 are still without power, with most in Andover, North Andover, Chelmsford and Lawrence, Mass.

The town of Andover has opened a cooling center for those without power at the Robb Center. It is open until 10 p.m. EDT.

The Sagamore Bridge to Cape Code was closed for several hours due to localized flooding, the Bourne Police Department said. It has since reopened.

Weather watchers are monitoring Hurricane Lee's potential impact on the East Coast, though it is not expected to make landfall in Massachusetts, WWLP reported.