Hurricane Irene blamed for power outages in County
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
High winds associated with Hurricane Irene were blamed Monday for toppling trees and power lines throughout the area, causing just over 7,000 electric customers to lose power for anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.
“Outages were due to strong winds and rain resulting from Hurricane Irene. A total of 7,300 customer accounts were affected throughout the night, beginning at 9:30 p.m. in Sherman,” said Virginia Joles, director of communications, Maine Public Service.
Occasional scattered outages were reported beginning Sunday evening and continuing through early Sunday morning. Crews worked throughout the night to restore power.
“All major outages have been restored; the high wind alert was cancelled by the National Weather Service around noon Monday,” said Joles.
According to Joles, one outage response was in progress concerning a tree down on an energized service drop and an MPS crew was addressing the issue Monday.
“Everything was wet and weakened, so more trees can be expected to fall. At approximately 10 a.m. Monday, six MPS line workers and a supervisor were dispatched to help Bangor Hydro with restoration efforts in the Lincoln area,” she said.
Beginning late last week, MPS workers prepared and planned closely with sister utility Bangor Hydro to combine resources, where possible, and provide mutual aid, if needed, said Joles.
“Now that the restoration is almost complete in northern Maine, officials are making plans to send crews to help with Bangor Hydro’s restoration efforts. The decision to send crews south will be made when high winds settle and customers are restored in northern Maine,” said Joles.
Joles said MPS crews geared up early evening to respond to the following power interruptions, which have now been restored: Sherman, where 271 customers were without power for three hours six minutes; Westfield had 210 customers offline for one hour 45 minutes; 866 customers in the Skyway neighborhood of Presque Isle went without electricity for one hour 47 minutes; in Caribou, 527 customers lost power for one hour 29 minutes; Limestone saw 619 customers lose power for three hours 45 minutes; 1,466 Mapleton residents lost electricity for about nine minutes; the State Street section of Presque Isle saw 2,330 customers lose power for 33 minutes; and the longest outage, lasting about five hours 13 minutes, affected about 811 customers in the Flo’s Inn section of Presque Isle. “
“The MPS Customer Service Center was staffed beginning at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, shortly after the first power outages began in the Sherman area. Additional MPS employees have been trained and are assisting with calls. Customers are asked to have their account number handy when calling and please be patient as calls are handled as efficiently as possible,” Joles said.
Joles advised using caution around downed power lines.
“Please remember to stay clear of fallen power lines and trees touching them and to use alternate heating and electricity sources according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. Also please drive carefully through work zones where MPS crews are working,” said Joles.
Customers may report outages by calling 760-2300 in the Presque Isle area or by calling toll-free 877-655-4448.
Presque Isle city officials met Sunday to assess the situation, making plans to respond as needed to issues arising from Hurricane Irene.
“We strongly encouraged Presque Isle citizens to stay inside during the storm,” said Presque Isle Police Chief Matt Irwin.
Irwin said while winds had diminished Monday as the day progress, significant rainfall caused water levels to rise in area waterways, with officials warning motorists to use care when traveling, since roads may be weakened by the excess water passing over and under them. To report non-emergency events, including downed trees, power lines and minor flooding, call the PIPD at 764-4476.
