By JUSTIN ELLIS, Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Staff photo by John EwingPart of a tree on Bolton Street in Portland rests on a parked pickup truck Monday. Only the ice storm of 1998, which caused 340,000 outages, knocked out power for more people around the state.
Nor'easter hits Maine
The storm's aftermath
SAFETY TIPS
GENERATOR SAFETY TIPS
If you've lost power and are running a generator, Central Maine Power has these tips for operating it safely:
Don't run a generator indoors, even in an open garage.n Make sure portable generators are properly grounded.
Don't store fuel indoors or try to refuel a generator while it's running.
Permanent generators must have transfer switches, installed by a licensed electrician.
Details on generator safety
WHAT TO DO WHEN THE POWER GOES OFF
Watch out for live wires. If you see downed wires, call your power company. No line is ever safe to touch.If an electrical wire falls on your car when you are in it, stay in the vehicle and wait for a power company worker or law enforcement official to make sure the line is not live. If your car catches fire, jump clear without touching the car and the ground at the same time.
Turn off and unplug all your major electrical appliances, including computers.
Leave one light or a radio on so you know when power returns.
When you use an emergency heating source -- woodstove, fireplace or kerosene heater -- keep fuels away from the flames. Be sure to ventilate properly and have fire safety equipment nearby. Never leave a fire unattended.
Don't use grills or campstoves indoors. They can give off dangerous gases.
Make sure your generator has a double-throw switch, so there is no electrical connection between your home and the power company. Before you start the generator, check that all wires are properly grounded. Be sure to pull the main fuses or turn off the main circuit breaker. This will protect your home from damage and keep CMP lineworkers safe.
Check fuses or circuit breakers to make sure the outage is not just in your home.
Call your power company to report outages. CMP's hotline is (800) 696-1000.
Source: Central Maine Power
Thousands of people still will be without power today, after more than 123,000 households lost power during the heavy rains and high winds that pounded Maine on Monday.
Only the ice storm of 1998, which caused 340,000 outages, knocked out power for more people around the state.
Candlelit homes and cold showers have been common in the last two weeks. A winter storm that left almost 2 feet of snow in parts of the state on April 4 resulted in outages for 117,000 Central Maine Power Co. customers.
On Monday, Mainers scrambled to find gas-powered electricity generators. Home-improvement stores such as Home Depot and Lowe's from Biddeford to Brunswick reported being sold out of generators.
Because of the volatile weather conditions, unstable ground and blocked roads in parts of the state, some people may not see power restored for more than a day.
"Every available line worker, assessor and field person is out there right now," said Gail Rice, CMP spokeswoman.
As of 6 p.m. Monday, 123,570 customers were without power. Of them, 48,394 customers were in the Portland area, 33,154 in the Brunswick area, 27,376 in York County, 5,231 around Rockland and 2,026 around Bridgton.
Rice estimated that close to 600 CMP employees, from line workers to support staff, were working Monday.
CMP has put out a request for mutual aid from regional power providers but may have to wait as states such as New Hampshire and Massachusetts also deal with widespread power outages.
CMP crews were largely unable to start repair work Monday because of the number of live power lines that fell during the day. Rice said crews first had to contain those downed lines, which could have started fires or electrocuted residents.
High winds that ranged between 40 and 60 miles per hour snapped tree limbs and uprooted power lines as well as trees.
"When you've got 50 to 60 mile per hour winds, you don't want a worker up high in a bucket," Rice said.
Rice said CMP will begin cycling in new workers as they start repairs today. During emergencies, CMP crews work an initial 24-hour shift, then switch to 17 hours on the job, with a seven-hour break.
With the snowstorm earlier this month, CMP engineering crews have been busy.
"This has been a very difficult couple of weeks, but these guys are dedicated," Rice said. "They want to put things back together and serve customers as best they can."
Sharon Staz, manager of Kennebunk Light and Power, said about 100 customers lost power Monday morning and had it restored by the afternoon. The company has 6,000 customers. About 1,000 of its customers lost power during the snow storm earlier this month.
Bangor Hydro Electric, which serves towns such as Orono, Machias and Dover-Foxcroft, reported more than 4,000 outages Monday.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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