DPW employee Jeff Greco takes a chainsaw to some birch trees on the power lines on Old Mill Road during Tropical Storm Irene, Aug. 28. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)

Clockwise from top left: Scott Blackwell, Steve Beckman, Mark O’Donnell, Ben Wilmot, Joan Ojemann, and George Orsula discuss the day’s plans at the ambulance station. During the storm, the DPW, EMTs, police and firefighters all had extra staff on hand in case of emergencies.

Jason Johnston of Lewis Trees (a subcontractor to National Grid) clears the lines on Mill Road after a large oak fell over, blocking the road.

The storm left Fruitlands Museum with an unexpected “sculpture.” A rental tent that was supposed to be picked up Sunday morning blew over late Sunday night in the gusty winds on the tail end of the storm.

A flag gets battered by the wind during the storm.

Harvard is fully "back in operation" this week, its fire chief reports, after Tropical Storm Irene swept through Massachusetts Sunday, soaking the area with rain and blasting it with high winds.

While thousands in the western part of the state still lack electricity, fire Chief Richard Sicard told the Press Wednesday there were no reports of remaining outages in Harvard.

Irene topped out as a Category 3 hurricane during its journey from the Caribbean up the East Coast of the United States. As it made a landfall near New York City Sunday morning, it was downgraded to a tropical storm.

In Massachusetts, the storm was responsible for power outages, downed trees, and some flooding. The storm claimed one life in the state: a town employee in Southbridge who was electrocuted by a fallen power line.

In Harvard, there was only one injury as a result of the storm, Sicard said. A highway worker nicked himself on the leg with a chainsaw. The worker received treatment and was back to work before the day was over, Sicard said.

Overall, Sicard said, "Things went very well. We were very well prepared."

The day before the storm, Sicard said, he had called a full department head meeting, to make sure "everyone was on the same page with what our game plan was." Six firefighters were on duty overnight Saturday going into Sunday, and on Sunday, "everyone was there," he said.

With the Department of Public Works working throughout the day Sunday to remove fallen tree limbs and clear catch basins, Sicard said, the town was able to keep all its roads open. There were no ambulance calls Sunday, Sicard said, and only one basement required pumping.

"It seems like everyone did their part by just staying home and not venturing out," he said.

Sicard broadcast a message to town residents Friday using the Connect-CTY reverse 911 system recommending residents be prepared and secure by Saturday night. Sicard said Wednesday he encourages those who have yet to sign up for Connect-CTY do so through the town's website, www.harvard.ma.us.

Prior to the storm, Selectmen Chair Marie Sobalvarro made the same recommendation. She told the Press Friday that, in an informal poll she took of town residents, most thought the Connect-CTY system was only for the elderly or town officials.

The town was prepared to open up an emergency shelter at the Bromfield School Sunday, but it was never necessary to do so, Sicard said.

Orchard damage report

Franklyn Carlson, co-owner of Carlson Orchards, reports that damage from Tropical Storm Irene was minimal, much less than he had feared, and much less than the orchards sustained in 1991 from Hurricane Bob or 1985 from Hurricane Gloria. He estimated the loss at 10 to 15 percent of the current fruit crop.

The dropped fruit isn't usable, as it is too starchy, Carlson said. If the storm had happened a couple of weeks later, when the apples were closer to being ready for picking, the sugar content would have been higher, and the drop percentage would have been much higher, as the fruit loosens its grip on the trees.

The orchard also sustained some damage to recently planted trees, but most of these will be re-staked and be OK, Carlson said.

Carlson said there is still a great crop of apples, and that the orchards will be ready for a very good pick-your-own season.

Westward Orchards' Don Greene said, "We are happy. We lost about 10 percent with very little tree damage. Growers as close as Bolton had much more loss. We were lucky."

Pam Lawson of Doe Orchards reported that "…Things are good here. There is a good crop on the trees and very few apples on the ground. We are feeling very lucky."