Since Monday morning, Hurricane Sandy escalated as the wind and rain drove home the reality of the 300 mile-wide storm. Downed trees, power lines, and fires from the live wires kept town departments busy throughout the day.

As of early evening, flooding began to mount with the rising tide. Much of Front Street in Marion Village was blocked off. In Mattapoisett Water Street, Ned's Point Road, Mattapoisett Neck Road and Angelica Avenue were closed due to the incoming tide, said Mattapoisett Police Chief Mary Lyons. She said it is expected to peak at 8:20 p.m.

In response to the storm, schools will be closed for a second day on Tuesday in the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester.

Although the wind and rain began to subside late Monday night, all remain on alert.

Mattapoisett
In Mattapoisett, Town Administrator Mike Gagne said officials were well prepared.

At the Fire Department, Chief Andrew Murray said, "We've got a stock of batteries. We stocked up on water for our staff and lined up secondary fuel sources."

He added that the Department had all of its generators serviced and extra flashlights on hand. Murray said he already confirmed 24-hour accessibility to Mahoney's Building Supply for plywood, spray paint and any other items needed.

"Our equipment is 100 percent. We're always ready anyway," he said.

Marion

Marion Town Administrator Paul Dawson said he was confident in the town's ability to respond to the storm based on its experience last year with Hurricane Irene.

"I think we're in good shape," Dawson said. "We had really good practice last year. There is potential for a significant storm. We expect its impact but we're cautiously optimistic."

To prepare for the storm, the Selectmen appointed Selectman Jody Dickerson as the emergency liaison for the town on Friday.

As part of his duties as liaison, Dickerson has the power to declare a state of emergency as well as the power to allocate services and funds should the need arise.

Besides town officials, boaters were also on alert with many pulling their vessels from Marion waters before Sandy hit, said Lauren Lemieux of Barden's Boat Yard in Marion.

"We've had quite a few come in," Lemieux said. "We had a lot of people stay out longer this year because the weather has been so nice, but the season is over."

Tucker Burr of Burr Brothers Boats in Marion agreed.

"We've had a whole bunch of people coming in to ask us what we think and asking to bring their boats out of the water," Burr said.

Rochester
In Rochester, officials are encouraging anyone with health problems or those that lose power to meet at the Council on Aging located on Dexter Lane.

If necessary, Town Administrator Richard LaCamera said that residents can take emergency shelter at Rochester Memorial School on Hartley Road.

Schools
All schools in Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester cancelled Monday and Tuesday classes.

Superintendent Doug White, Facilities Manager Gene Jones and Business Administrator Catherine Antonellis met with town officials on Thursday and Friday in anticipation of the storm.

“We work very closely with all the town departments,” said White. “We are part of the emergency teams in the towns.”

NSTAR has notified public safety officials of residents who depend on electricity for medical needs, and officials will be checking on those residents throughout the storm. If you are unsure whether officials know about your or a loved one's situation, call NSTAR a 1-800-592-2000 or the local police.

Marion Police can be reached at 508-748-1212; Mattapoisett Police at 508-758-4141; Rochester Police at 508-763-5112.

View emergency guidelines for Mattapoisett below. For a related story on Hurricane Sandy, click here.

Stay with Sippican.VillageSoup.com. We'll have updates from local authorities as information becomes available.