Emergency response crews from Central Maine Power Company were scattered across York County on Wednesday night and labored all day on Thursday to restore electricity after heavy snow caused tree limbs to snap, bringing down numerous power lines.
A CMP spokesman said mid-day Thursday that it has moved additional resources into York County to assist local crews with the storm recovery. The company is coordinating its response with the Maine Emergency Management Agency and York County emergency management personnel.
Restoration teams worked into the night Thursday with towns and the state to repair downed lines, clear roads and restore electricity to critical facilities such as hospitals and warming shelters.
Power outages can be reported by calling 800-696-1000.
CMP is urging residents to stay away from any downed power lines or fallen trees that may be tangled in lines.
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.
Maine Emergency Management Agency cautioned residents to stay off roadways and only travel if necessary.
“With temperatures hovering around freezing, road conditions are expected to be extremely slick,” said MEMA Director Suzanne Krauss. “Those in flood-prone areas should take precautions to protect themselves and their property and never drive on flooded roadways.”
As the snow piled up overnight and into Thursday, skiers in Maine were delighted.
“With the storm today and tomorrow, and more snow predicted for this weekend and next week, alpine and Nordic skiers should be excited about epic snow conditions at Maine’s ski areas,” said Ski Maine Executive Director Greg Sweetser.
He said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s snow depth map shows that the top half of Maine has received at least 22 inches from last week’s nor’easter and additional snow from Quinn will cause snow depth totals to rise significantly.
All schools in York County were closed because of the storm and although some businesses, restaurants and retailers were open Thursday, many banks never opened for customers.
Traffic on I-95 from Maine into New Hampshire was blocked in both directions early Thrusday morning when a power line snapped and fell across both northbound and southbound lanes. No one was injured and crews had the line repaired within an hour.
The storm gradually weakened into the evening hours Thursday and the center of low pressure is expected to move inland across interior sections of Maine on Friday.
Temperatures will remain around freezing through Sunday, when conditions clear and a high of 43 degrees is predicted. Until then, an additonal 2 to 4 inches of snow could accumulate in some areas of the county.
— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com
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