MAINE, USA — When Mainers know a storm is coming, they get ready.
“Batteries, flashlights, propane, firewood, kindling,” Charlie Hamlin who has worked at Drillen Ace hardware in Cape Elizabeth for 20 years said.
Monday night's storm is forecasted to bring heavy rain and high winds.
“It’s coming, we know it’s coming,” Hamlin said. “Anything emergency that doesn’t need electricity that’s what we’re pretty busy at.”
Wind gusts predicted to reach up to 60 miles per hour in some locations is expected to be the big problem and what power companies in Maine, like Versant and Central Maine Power (CMP), have been focused on for days.
“It really is all about the wind" CMP spokesperson Catharine Hartnett said. Hartnett says it’s the wind that takes down trees and tree limbs onto power lines that knocks out our power.
"Even though the ground isn't frozen yet, every place and leaves are off the trees... they aren’t as heavy as the branches and limbs mostly from outside our trimming zone, they can fall great distances into the lines," Hartnett said.
Power companies say their crews are ready to respond.
“We try to make sure we can preposition people so they can respond quickly,” she said.
And if the storm does cause widespread power outages, crews are ready.
"What takes time is us assessing the extent of the damage, how long it will take to respond, how many people are going to be restored—prioritizing," Hartnett explained.
And understanding it’s never easy to lose power, particularly during a pandemic.
Hartnett said, "People are home working, people are home studying we get that we will work as hard as we can, and as safely as we can.”
You can prepare by:
- Ensuring you have a supply of fresh water.
- Stocking up on easy-to-make nonperishable food items.
- Charging your cellphone and other electronic devices.
- Preparing flashlights and a battery-operated radio in case you must shelter in place until it is safe to travel.
- If you must travel, be watchful for flooding or pooling of water on roadways, as well as downed trees, branches, or power lines.
- If you do lose power, keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed as long as possible to preserve your food.
- If you have a generator, review the manufacturer's guidelines to ensure you use it safely.
As of around 5:30 p.m. Monday, about 4,000 CMP customers were already without power.
Keep track of CMP outages here.
Keep track of Versant outages here.
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