Foxboro on the defense for Hurricane Sandy

FOXBORO, Mass. (WHDH) -- Foxboro took a more proactive approach than in years past. They cut back trees and limbs to keep them away from power lines.

The concern in Foxboro was that the trees still have leaves on them, making the trees so heavy. Irene left 80% of the town of Foxboro without electricity for several days. They dealt with 50 to 60-mile-per-hour winds. Early Monday morning, winds in Foxboro reached 20 miles per hour and were expected to increase throughout the day.

They assigned community liaisons and promised extra crews. There are 10% more emergency crews plus 2,000 crews from around the country. National Grid said communication was lacking in 2011, so now they really stockpiled transformers, wire and plenty of hardware.

Governor Patrick said officials will be watching to see how power companies respond this time around. He said 200 National Guard members were on stand-by and the number would rise to at least 1,000 by the time the storm hit Massachusetts.

Gov. Patrick held press conference Sunday just with some recommendations for people. He said to have cash on hand in case you can't get to an ATM, stock up on food, water, batteries and flashlights. He also suggested that if you have elderly neighbors be sure to check on them to be safe.