CMP Crews Exceed the 25,000 Mark in Storm Restoration Effort
CMP News
Central Maine Power Company, 83 Edison Drive, Augusta, ME 04336 (207) 622-NEWS
Corporate Communications - corpcomm@cmpco.com
Release: Immediate
Media Contacts: Gail Rice, 207.622.NEWS
CMP Crews Exceed the 25,000 Mark in Storm Restoration Effort
AUGUSTA, Maine, November 3, 2014 " Central Maine Power Co. (CMP), a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, continues work to repair damage from a winter storm that passed through Maine on Sunday and Monday. Customer outages from the storm reached a peak of 84,000 shortly before 8 a.m. Monday. In the mid-coast region of Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, and Waldo counties, the storm knocked out power to nearly 80 percent of the homes and business served by the utility.
"Our outage count reached a peak at about eight o'clock this morning, and hazardous travel conditions made for a difficult first day of the restoration," said CMP spokesperson Gail Rice. "Our crews restored service to more than 25,000 customers since this morning, and we completed our damage assessment of major roadside lines and transmission corridors today despite the difficulties," said Rice.
CMP expects to restore power to 90 percent of those customers affected by the storm by Wednesday evening. The utility is still assessing the damage in rural parts of the hardest hit counties of Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, or Waldo before projecting when the restoration will be complete for the remaining customers.
CMP began the day with approximately 100 two-man line crews, who were joined by an additional 50 crews from Canada, Maine, and other New England states during the course of the day. Fifty more line crews arrived this evening to join the restoration effort. In addition to the line crews, the storm response team includes 110 tree crews, supervisory and safety personnel, mechanics, and other support and administrative personnel.
CMP has established mobile command and supply centers in Wiscasset, Union, and Bucksport to aid in storm recovery, and the company is re-assigning its crews into areas with the worst damage as they complete the restoration in other parts of the state.
Utility officials are also sensitive to the timing of the storm response with tomorrow's elections, and have been in communication with the Maine Secretary of State and municipal officials. In a statement issued earlier today, Deputy Secretary of State Julie Flynn noted that municipal officials are working to make sure that polling locations are up and functional tomorrow, and any adjustments that need to be made will be publicized as broadly as possible. Secretary of State Matt Dunlap advises voters to check with their town or city clerk to see if their polling places are open.
Outages by county as of 9:30 p.m.:
Knox: 16,812
Lincoln: 13,477
Waldo: 13,202
Penobscot: 6,571
Hancock: 5,205
Kennebec: 1,507
Somerset: 815
Sagadahoc: 532
Oxford: 62
Piscataquis: 21
Androscoggin: 12
Cumberland: 9
CMP Total: 58,225
The company also urges customers to use caution if they see downed lines.
"Everyone should stay clear of any downed power lines or fallen trees that may be tangled in the lines," says Rice. "All downed lines should be considered live and dangerous. Customers should leave the clean-up to our crews, who are trained and equipped to handle these situations safely."
CMP also reminds drivers to use caution when approaching utility crews. The working conditions are difficult, and the workers appreciate everyone's consideration for their safety.
Additional information on storm safety and restoration, including a town-by-town listing of outages in the CMP service area with an area map, can be found on CMP's web site at www.cmpco.com.
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About Central Maine Power Company (CMP): Central Maine Power Company, a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, is Maine's largest electricity transmission and distribution utility. The company delivers about 9 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually to more than 600,000 homes and businesses, representing about 80% of Maine's annual consumer sales of electricity. The company has been ranked #1 in customer satisfaction six times by J.D. Power and Associates. For more information, visit www.cmpco.com/.
About Iberdrola USA: Iberdrola USA is the U.S. subsidiary of global energy leader Iberdrola, S.A. The Iberdrola USA companies employ about 5,000 people with operations in 24 states from New England to the West Coast, providing electricity generation, transmission and distribution, natural gas storage and distribution, and energy services. For more information, please visit our website: www.iberdrolausa.com. Follow us on Twitter: @IberdrolaUSA
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