After hammering the South Coast on Monday, Hurricane Sandy left Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester with some damage, but many town officials and residents say it could have been worse.

Beginning mid-morning on Monday, fire, police, highway and public works departments in the towns responded to hundreds of calls as trees succumbed to the winds of Sandy, often taking power and phone lines with them.

As of Tuesday morning, there were approximately 1,051 customers in the three towns without power, according to NSTAR.

Flooding was minimal in the towns after the high tide receded Monday night.

Mattapoisett Harbormaster Horace Field said the northeasterly wind kept the harbor from the worst of the storm.

"That saved our bacon," said Field. "If it had been a southeasterly wind, we would have been in trouble."

Marion

The heavily wooded areas of Delano Road and Point Road in Marion saw an almost constant stream of downed trees. Even in Marion Village, a large tree came down in front of the Marion Music Hall on Front Street.

Marion Police reported that Silvershell Beach was submerged by early evening Monday as well as the parking lot at the Kittansett Club and parts of Front Street, including Island Wharf. As the high tide receded, so did the flooding.

Harbormaster Mike Cormier said that due to flooding, the water at Island Wharf had been within a few inches of the band stand.

Of the 70 boats on moorings in Marion, Cormier said no damages or issues have been reported yet.

On Tuesday, Both Cormier and Police Chief Lincoln Miller said that the flooding was "minor" and began to recede an hour later.

Miller said he was pleased the town did not incur too much damage.

"I did a quick survey of the town and all roads are open. The DPW is cleaning the debris. Right now we are working on getting the storm drains clear so that there is no street flooding if we get more rain," Miller said.

Mattapoisett

In Mattapoisett, the Fire Station was almost empty Monday as firefighters responded to residents' calls.

Police Chief Mary Lyons cautioned people to "self-evacuate" to higher ground if waters got too close to their homes.

Although the high tide was expected to be a problem due to winds, it receded quickly.

At Harbor Beach, resident Bill Sweeney said the sea was "wild and wooly."

"It receded wicked quick, faster than I've ever seen it," he said. "We went out 20 minutes after high tide. The sky cleared and the moon came out. It was beautiful."

Harbormaster Horace Field agreed that the storm was much less damaging than it could have been. He wasn't sure how high the tide rose in town but said the waters at Town Wharf came through the parking lot and stopped just short of his office steps.

Field said only one vessel came ashore, a 30-foot sailboat at Molley's Cove off Mattapoisett Neck Road.

By Tuesday morning, Field had also checked all of town's wharves, piers and floats.

"There's no apparent damage to any of it," he said. "The whole town did OK."

Lyons said the town was experiencing some power outages due to downed trees and wires. Small fires due to the the downed trees also affected some areas on Monday. In addition to the Fire Department, the Highway Department and Tree Warden have been working to remove fallen trees that do not involve wires.

Rochester

In Rochester, emergency personnel dealt with downed trees all over town, including multiple fallen trees and wires on Walnut Plain Road and Route 105.

Schools
All schools in Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester cancelled Monday and Tuesday classes, with the exception of Tabor Academy on Tuesday.

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.

Stay tuned for more updates here!