CMP outage tally drops below 67K, storm recovery workforce exceeds 3,000

Courtesy / CMP By 11 a.m. Friday CMP reported less than 67,000 of its customers remained without power and that its recovery workforce totaled 3,000 people. Emera Maine reported 12,000 of its customers were still without power Friday morning.

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By Staff

More power restoration crews poured into Maine Thursday as Central Maine Power Co. reported that recovery efforts from the Oct. 29-30 wind and rain storm have reduced the number of customers without power from a peak of more than 400,000 at mid-day Monday to less than 67,000 late Friday morning.

CMP stated in a news release that its storm recovery workforce of more than 3,000 people includes tree-clearing crews, line and substation repair crews, and safety, logistics, assessors, and mechanical repair personnel. Support for the restoration effort has come from 14 states and two Canadian provinces.

“We want to thank our many partners in this effort — including the Maine Emergency Management Agency, local EMAs, and countless other state and local agencies,” said CMP President and CEO Sara Burns. “The crews and support personnel engaged in this recovery effort — from CMP, our affiliates, and mutual aid partners — have also done an outstanding job. They’ve worked long hours and restored power to more than a quarter million customers without a single safety incident or injury.”

Burns also thanked CMP’s customers, saying they’ve “been very patient, understanding, and supportive through several days of storm recovery.”

The company continues to develop specific towns and roads and post them on its website.

“We understand that customers who are still out want more specific information, so we have dedicated more resources to continue updating the website listings with current information,” said Burns. “We still expect service back for the majority of customers by late Saturday. The only exceptions could be homes on remote camp lines and areas where flooding or downed trees has prevented access.”

Emera Maine update

Emera Maine reported less than 12,000 of its customers were still without power Friday morning. At the height of the outages late afternoon Monday, Emera reported 82,881 customers were without power.

Emera Maine reported today that it expected “almost all remaining customers” in northern Penobscot (Milo, Lincoln, Millinocket) and Piscataquis (Dover/Sebec) counties would have their power restored by end of Friday, Nov. 3.

For southern Penobscot (Greater Bangor, Orono/Old Town) and Hancock counties, it expected to restore power to 90% of customers still affected by the outage by 10 p.m. Friday, “with almost all remaining customers restored by end of day Saturday.”

“Restoration to locations in remote areas, seasonal camps, or places with damage on private lines may extend into next week,” the company stated on its outage website.

State preparing federal disaster declaration

Maine Emergency Management Agency reported on its website that the state is “pursuing a federal disaster declaration with local municipalities and county emergency management agencies, adding, “however no federal assistance is available at this time.”

MEMA provided the following list of steps and resources available at this time:

Individuals should document damage from the Oct. 29-30 storm through photos and receipts and first work with their homeowner’s insurance.
Documented losses should be reported to 2-1-1 Maine by calling 2-1-1. They will need the name, address and a summary of the losses related to this storm only.
Those who cannot afford to fix damage from the storm should contact their municipal General Assistance Officer for assistance that may be available.
Check with local food pantries if you have lost food.
Community Action Programs may be able to provide some assistance to those who meet certain income guidelines.
Current SNAP benefit recipients may be able to obtain a voucher to replace lost food. Contact the Office of Family Independence at 855-797-4357.
Farmers who experience losses and need assistance should contact USDA Farm Service Agency at 207-990-9140.
Individuals can also contact 2-1-1 Maine for referrals for assistance.