SCITUATE — As generators hummed, residents of the hard-hit coastline here gathered torn shingles, tree limbs, heavy rocks, and other storm-strewn debris from their driveways and yards.

Across town at the high school, a police officer lifted a woman in a wheelchair over a curb and guided her into the cafeteria that served as a shelter for those who have lost power. Those in the mostly elderly crowd of about 150 have been sleeping on cots, playing board games and trying to find out when they will get power back.