As of 1:10 p.m. Friday, a total of 4,312 Lincoln County households await power restoration, as crews from Central Maine Power Co. continue efforts to repair wires and poles damaged by wind, rain, and snow that pummeled Lincoln County during the overnight hours into early Friday morning. So far, power has been restored at 3,282 Lincoln County residences since there were 7,594 outages reported at 6:44 a.m. Friday.
Lincoln County emergency services responded to numerous traffic incidents, fallen trees and tree limbs, and wires down beginning in the early evening hours and continuing overnight, according to Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency Director Tod Hartung.
Power loss was widespread as of the 11:25 a.m. CMP bulletin, with outages reported in every Lincoln County town. Hardest hit at the time were Jefferson with 1,248, Damariscotta with 1,135, and Nobleboro with 984.
As of 12:53 p.m., all power had been restored to Damariscotta and most locations in Nobleboro, with 272 households still without power there, according to CMP. Outages in Jefferson remained unchanged from the 11:25 a.m. report.
Statewide, outages were reported in 14 of the 16 counties in Maine, with 75,397 outages reported in the state as of the 12:53 p.m. CMP bulletin.
Along with high winds and heavy rainfall, the storm coated Lincoln County with several inches of accumulated snowfall in varying amounts, with higher snowfall totals inland, according to estimates from the National Weather Service and other sources.
Storm readiness personnel and equipment were pre-positioned on Thursday to ensure that adequate resources were in place to restore power outages that might occur as a result of the storm, according to CMP. If needed, resources from energy companies in Connecticut and New York, as well as contractors and regional mutual assistance partners, could also be called upon, according to CMP. Preparations and response were also coordinated with the Maine Emergency Management Agency and local emergency management.
“Every hour of every day, we are prepared to respond to power interruptions, but in a case like this, all employees throughout the company are on heightened alert,” said Sara Burns, president and CEO of CMP. “Our customer relations centers, line crews, and other personnel are prepared, and we have materials on hand to repair any damage to our electricity delivery systems.”
Calmer weather after daylight Friday allowed CMP crews good working conditions. CMP spokesperson Gail Rice said efforts are being made to restore power to all households as soon as possible, however, it is likely that some customers won’t see their power restored until Saturday.
CMP encourages motorists to allow their crews ample room to work, and to slow down as they approach a CMP crew.
For a look at CMP restoration efforts, check online at http://www.cmpco.com/Outages/default.html.
