The Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency (LCEMA) is encouraging residents to look out for each other while power outages affect many areas of the county. As nightfall approaches on Mon., low temps in the upper teens and winds from west-northwest at 15-25 mph will mean a dangerously cold overnight for those without heat.
As of Monday afternoon, LCEMA reports that there is a strong possibility that some areas of Lincoln County will remain without power overnight. As with all widespread power outages, restoration of power is hard to predict, so residents should remain prepared. At the time of this posting 17 towns in Lincoln County are affected by power outages, according to Central Maine Power (CMP)
Residents with power who are able to receive this breaking news e-mail from The Lincoln County News website are urged to contact neighbors and acquaintances who may be without power and ensure that they are safe and warm for the night. Special consideration should be given to the safety of the elderly and disabled.
LCEMA is coordinating with first responders in Lincoln County to open shelters for residents in temporary need of a place to warm-up, a hot shower, or drinking water. A list of those locations will follow in this article.
Communications during a power outage can be obviously challenging for communications devices that rely on power. Those with cell phones should use them sparingly and consider text messaging to save power if there is no way to recharge them.
Fortunately, traditional land-line telephone systems in Lincoln County survived the storm in good condition, with only 17 isolated outages according to Shirley Manning of Tidewater Telecom, which although without power, is operating on generators. Almost half of those phone outages had been restored by 1:27 p.m. and the rest would be restored before the end of the day, according to Manning.
“We don’t go home until all service is restored,” Manning said.
Land-line telephones will continue to work even if a residence is without power, but those phones need to be the type that plug directly into a hard-wired jack in the wall. Phones that require electricity from an outlet, such as portable remote hand-held phones, will not work. Manning encourages people who use such phones to keep an older land-line telephone on hand to plug into the wall jack in case of emergencies such as power outages.
Of course the Maine tradition of checking on neighbors with a friendly knock on the door will work with or without power, and is an especially good way to ascertain if an elderly of disabled person may need assistance with clearing snow or is perhaps short on food, firewood or other supplies while homebound due to the weather.
“It is more important now then ever to look out for one another, check on your neighbors, and help where you can,” said Kimberly Kaiser LCEMA Deputy Director. “Neighbors helping neighbors is the way of life in Maine.”
Another important factor in the ability of utility companies to restore service is clear access to downed telephone and electrical lines. Residents are encouraged to make sure driveways and other points of access are clear of snowfall, and to assist the elderly and disabled with this task.
Safety around any downed line is also important, especially the fact that “no line is safe to touch — ever”. Wires on the ground, weighted down dangerously by snowfall or tree limbs, or actively smoking or “arcing” bursts of electricity, should be reported immediately to the Lincoln County Communications Center (LCCC) by dialing 911 in an emergency or dialing 563-3200 in a non-emergency.
To report a power outage to CMP, call 1-800-696-1000.
Warming shelters are opening in Lincoln County for the evening. At the time of this posting, these shelters are not providing overnight service, but are a place where people can warm up, take a hot shower and obtain drinking water.
At 2:58 p.m. the Mid Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross announced will be opening an overnight shelter at 5 p.m. at the Red Cross office on 16 Community Way in Topsham. This shelter is open to provide temporary lodging for any people without power and in need of disaster assistance. Community members coming to the shelter should bring with them any medicines that they need, a pillow and blanket for each member of their family, a change of clothing, and books or simple toys.
Public health requirements do not permit pets in shelters. For more information, please contact Hillary Roberts, Director of Emergency Services, at (207) 729-6779 or (207) 343-0803.
The Lincoln County News website will post information here immediately if any shelters in Lincoln County become equipped for overnight stays.
Some shelters are also equipped to handle pets, or pets can be taken to the Lincoln County Animal Shelter to be housed on a temporary basis.
The list of shelters and their capabilities follows:
Boothbay Fire Department: 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Community Shelter), located at 911 Wiscasset Road in Boothbay. Pets OK if crated. Medical assistance available from BRAS Ambulance.
Wiscasset Fire Department: 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Community Shelter) located at 242 Gardiner Road in Wiscasset. Pets OK if crated. Medical assistance available from Wiscasset Ambulance.
Bremen Fire Department: 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Community Shelter) located on Waldoboro Road (Route 32) in Bremen. No pets allowed or medical assistance immediately available.
CLC YMCA: until 9 p.m. located on Main Street in Damariscotta Warm-up and showers only. No pets allowed.
Lincoln County Animal Shelter: (Animals maybe sheltered here on temporary basis to keep warm.) Located at 27 Atlantic Highway in Edgecomb.
The Lincoln County News website will continue to follow the progress of this event and post any additional developments here as soon as they become available.
Note: This Special Alert has been a coordinated effort between The Lincoln County News and the Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency. Public comment is welcome. Please contact Greg Latimer at 380-9912 or e-mail Sherwood Olin at lcn@lincoln.midcoast.com.
