CMP Crews Working on Storm Recovery Over Thanksgiving Holiday
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, gail.rice@cmpco.com
CMP Crews Working on Storm Recovery Over Thanksgiving Holiday
AUGUSTA, Maine, November 27, 2014, 11 a.m. " Central Maine Power Company (CMP), a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, reports that it's crews are working to restore power on Thanksgiving morning after a Northeaster left a blanket of heavy wet snowfall across southern Maine. At 11 a.m., the utility was reporting an estimated 77,800 customers without service, down from a peak of nearly 104,000 earlier Thursday morning.
"We had crews working through the overnight, and the full workforce reported in at 5 a.m.," said Gail Rice, spokesperson for Central Maine Power. "We had more than 400 line workers and tree crews in the field at first light, and additional line crews traveled overnight from New Brunswick, Canada to join us later this morning. Today, we"ll focus on getting power restored to all critical facilities, and restoring major distribution lines serving large customer groups, especially in Cumberland, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, and York counties, where the damage is most severe."
At CMP's request, Governor LePage issued a Declaration of Emergency late last night which allowed utility crews from Canada to drive longer hours during the night to reach Maine this morning. The company has dispatched helicopters to inspect damage along several transmission corridors, and has assigned crews to assess damage throughout its system. The company expects to make good progress in the restoration during the day. CMP expects to provide a better projection of when it will complete the restoration later today pending a fuller assessment of the damage to its system.
Outages by county:
| YORK | 29,287 |
| CUMBERLAND | 17,680 |
| LINCOLN | 10,979 |
| SAGADAHOC | 10,256 |
| OXFORD | 2,429 |
| KENNEBEC | 2,404 |
| ANDROSCOGGIN | 2,220 |
| KNOX | 1,430 |
| WALDO | 531 |
| SOMERSET | 358 |
| HANCOCK | 189 |
| PENOBSCOT | 30 |
| FRANKLIN | 2 |
| CMP TOTAL | 77,795 |
A list of outages by county is on CMP's web site: Outage List
If outages occur, CMP urges customers to call the toll-free outage hotline: 1.800.696.1000.
CMP offers customers the following tips to prepare for the storm and stay safe and comfortable during power outages:
During a power interruption:
"To report a power interruption, contact CMP at 1.800.696.1000. Our telephone system automatically creates a work order and sets the stage for dispatch of crews to the outage location.
"When using an emergency heating source, like a wood stove, fireplace, or kerosene heater, keep fuels away from the flames and be sure to ventilate properly.
" Never use grills or camp stoves indoors " they can give off dangerous gases.
"Keep refrigerators and freezers closed as much as possible. Most food will last 24 hours or longer if you minimize the opening of refrigerator and freezer doors.
For customers with generators:
"Hire a licensed electrician to install permanent generators and transfer switches.
"Make sure portable generators are properly grounded.
"Carefully read and observe all instructions in your generator's operating manual.
"Never run a generator indoors, or even in an open garage.
"Do not store fuel indoors or try to refuel a generator while it's running.
"Refer to CMP's web page on generator safety: Generator Safety
The company 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," said 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 is 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