Central Maine Power (CMP) worked through Saturday night to make conditions safe following heavy, wet snow and winds throughout its service area. With more than 225,000 customers impacted by this storm, crews continued to work throughout Sunday to restore power. Historical data shows that Level III storms such as this result in outages lasting between three and five days. CMP is currently assessing, and will post Estimated Restoration Times as soon as they are able. Given the extensive scale of outages, the company is advising that customers should be prepared to be without power for an extended amount of time.
CMP was prepared ahead of the storm with 336 line crews, including 100 internal CMP crews with support from in- and out-of-state contractors, all of which have been deployed. 181 tree crews were also positioned ahead of the storm and are assisting with clearing and restoration efforts today. An additional 136 line crews are in route to Maine to provide support, including crews from CMP’s sister companies in New York and Connecticut. CMP is utilizing all resources to ensure an effective storm response, like taking measures such as sending drones up to assess damage to transmission lines. In total, there are over 1,500 people supporting restoration efforts.
“This storm caused significant tree and limb damage as a result of heavy, wet snow and strong winds,” said David Flanagan, CMP’s Executive Chairman. “Crews worked hard overnight to ensure conditions were made safe, and those efforts will continue throughout the day today. Facing more wind today, our crews will work as quickly as possible to restore power to our customers.”
CMP continues to work closely with the Maine Emergency Management Agency and local emergency management agencies to address road closures and understand local restoration priorities.
CMP continues to observe all COVID-19 safety protocols in storm response including:
- Working in separate teams to minimize contact
- Restricting visitor access to company facilities
- Entering a customer residence only in the event of emergency and after assessing risk
- Maintaining appropriate social distancing in the field
- Allowing one employee per vehicle
- Wearing masks
