Heavy rains and strong gusts of wind ripped through Wareham Tuesday evening and into Wednesday, causing flooding, downing trees, overturning boats and leaving much of the town without power. 

Eversource serves about 14,900 customers in Wareham, and about 72.9 percent of those customers were without power as of about noon on Thursday, Oct. 28. That amounts to 10,858 customers.

As of Thursday morning, Eversource reported that nearly 1,500 line and tree crews were working throughout the region. The company estimates that 99 percent of customers will have power back by 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30. 

Town offices and Wareham Public Schools announced closures due to the severe weather conditions in the early morning on Wednesday, Oct. 27. Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School also closed for the day Wednesday, according to Facebook posts. 

The town’s curbside trash pickup service is canceled for Wednesday. In addition, the Family Pantry at Damien’s Place is closed due to the weather conditions. 

At about 11 a.m. Wednesday, the Wareham Fire Department said it had responded to more than 60 calls since 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 26. Calls ranged from downed wires to a structure fire. 

“The alarms keep coming in, but be assured the WFD is up for the challenge and here to keep you safe,” the department wrote. 

The department also responded to a garage fire on Holly Tree Lane at about 8:15 a.m. The fire was quickly extinguished and seemed to be caused by a generator located close to the rear wall of the garage.

Early on Wednesday morning, Onset Fire reported “numerous trees and wires down as well as large puddles in certain areas.” The department encouraged residents to “stay clear of these hazards and assume all power lines are live.” 

Harbormaster Garry Buckminster said that as of about noon, there were “two overturned boats on moorings and four that have broken free from their moorings and have become grounded.”

He said a commercial salvage company would handle removal of the vessels. 

The Wareham Department of Natural Resources encouraged Wareham residents to keep safety in mind at all times: “Please use extreme caution when driving, and if you do not have to go out, please stay put!”

This story was updated Wednesday evening with more photos. It was updated again Thursday around noon to include Eversource data on power outages and repairs.