Trees bear brunt of storm
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
FAIRMOUNT CEMETERY in Presque Isle was just one of the many places to see downed trees as a result of last weekend’s storms.
Amazingly this tree fell between the row of headstones and did not appear to damage the memorials. Flash flooding was reported in some areas of the region as the storms were both quick-moving, but not too much precipitation was recorded during the weather event.
By Kathy McCarty
The National Weather Service has confirmed damage that occurred throughout the area due to severe thunderstorms both Friday and Saturday was the result of microbursts, not tornadoes.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
THIS LARGE TREE broke and fell on a Church Street home in Presque Isle Saturday afternoon. Over 10,000 Maine Public Service customers lost power Friday night due to a powerful storm while just over 9,500 customers lost power on Saturday after a second weather event blew through the county.
Property owners from Portage to Fort Fairfield reported damage as the result of extremely high winds that were reported to be up to 90 mph in spots. Incidents of downed trees and power lines and some property damage were reported throughout the area over the two-day period.
In Ashland, Station Hill — an area affected by June’s storms — once again was the site of more of nature’s wrath, with numerous trees toppled by high winds. A few homes and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife building sustained minimal damage, due to lost siding and roofing materials.
“It took down one of our trees Friday. We had the wood cleaned up in time for the second storm on Saturday,” said Kathi Beaulieu, who lives on Station Hill, noting her Facebook friends had joked that on the bright side there’d be “plenty of firewood this winter.”
Also in Ashland, properties on Watt Street and the Wrightville Road, among others in town, had trees uprooted. A tree also blocked the rail line near the intersection at Station Hill.
Power outages were reported in Aroostook on Friday and Saturday, including in Ashland and Presque Isle, as trees fell on power lines, disrupting service in some cases up to five hours.
State Rep. Mike Willette and his wife, Pam, spent Saturday evening at the movies, due to the outage.
“Still no power on the hill so we’re at the movies,” posted Mike Willette on his Facebook account Saturday evening.
The Washburn Fire Department responded to two weather-related calls late Saturday afternoon.
The first was a report around 4:19 p.m. of a utility pole snapped in two and on fire on the Caribou Road (Route 164). According to the department’s Facebook entry, Engine One and a crew remained on scene for several hours until a crew from Maine Public Service Company could secure the scene and restore power.
Washburn Fire and Rescue sent a second crew to a call at 5:30 p.m. after the department received an On-Star call from a motorist who stated that she was stranded on the South Wade Road in her vehicle between several downed trees. WFD was able to assist with getting the motorist on her way.
The Fort Fairfield Police Department also handled a weather-related accident Friday at the intersection of Route 1A and the Presque Isle Road, when two vehicles collided due to poor visibility around 8 p.m.
“At the time of the crash, Fort Fairfield was experiencing heavy rains and winds. Weather was a factor in the accident,” said Sgt. Shawn Newell, FFPD.
The Presque Isle Police Department fielded a number of calls July 22 and 23 due to the storms.
Calls began coming into the department on July 22, starting around 7:50 p.m. Numerous callers advised of a tree down on wires on the Washburn Road. Officer Kevin Schumacher responded, assisted by the Presque Isle Fire Department. It was determined to be phone lines and FairPoint was notified.
At 8:05 p.m., several Reach Road residents reported a tree had fallen, striking a car and taking down several wires at Town and Country Apartments. Det. Bill Scull responded. Maine Public Service was contacted.
On Saturday, calls began coming in by late afternoon. The first report of storm damage was around 4:50 p.m. of a tree down on some lines in the area of Church and Third streets. Sgt. Eric Erickson was assigned and determined the lines were not in the road and appeared to be cable lines only.
At 5:03 p.m., a caller reported a tree down across from a residence at 171 Washburn Road and that the power had gone out. Sgt. Erickson responded.
At 5:06 p.m., an Oak Street resident called advising there was a tree down next to her house in the lines. Sgt. Erickson responded.
An Academy Street resident contacted police at 5:45 p.m., advising there was a tree down across a yard and it had hit her neighbor’s house. Officer Cole Chandler advised dispatch he was already in the area and would respond. Chandler reported the tree was down on the driveway and a little piece had hit the house but there were no lines down.
A Third Street resident called at 6:02 p.m. indicating a tree went down at 12 Third Street, falling on the roof. She told dispatch she thought the tree had broken through. Sgt. Erickson responded and confirmed the tree had penetrated the roof.
At 6:30 p.m., a Cedar Street resident advised there was a wire down hanging in her driveway but she wasn’t sure if it was a power line. Officer Chandler responded and confirmed it was an electrical line.
A wire was reported hanging loose across Church Street near the old fire station at approximately 7:16 p.m. Officer Schumacher checked the area and observed a pole down at the old fire station, with a wire broken but not in the road. A Maine Public Service crew was driving by and was flagged down to address the issue. Officer Chandler assisted at the scene.
Maine State Police, via 9-1-1 dispatch, called at 9:15 p.m. to advise a transformer had just blown on Hillside Street but no fire was reported. Officer Chandler responded and determined it was actually on State Street and Maine Public Service was already on the scene.
The weather also caused problems for Maine Public Service, due to several interruptions in phone service that made it difficult for callers to report power outages.
