CMP News

Central Maine Power Company, 83 Edison Drive, Augusta, ME 04336 (207) 622-NEWS

Corporate Communications - corpcomm@cmpco.com 

Release: Immediate - An Energy East Company

Continued strong winds challenge CMP crews

AUGUSTA, Maine, April 16, 2007  Central Maine Power Company crews are will be working through the night, responding to reports of damage caused by a strong coastal storm packing high winds and heavy rains.

At 4:30 p.m. Monday, an estimated 125,300 CMP customer accounts were without service. The utility's Alfred, Portland, and Brunswick Service Centers have been the hit the hardest, however damage is being reported throughout CMP's 11,000-square-mile service area. More than 600 lineworkers, assessors, phone customer service representatives, and others have been working in the field and in CMP offices responding to damage reports, dispatching crews, and checking on the well-being of customers.

"The strong winds from this storm continued to damage our power system Monday afternoon. We had more than 65 broken poles at midday today, and falling trees have brought down wires in many parts of our service area," said CMP spokesperson Gail Rice. "Along the coast, our crews have been busy responding to emergency calls about live wires on the ground, and they need to make these scenes safe before they can assess damage and make repairs. The damage is so severe that some customers in coastal areas from Kittery to Bristol could be without service for several days."

The utility has had reports of wind gusts exceeding 80 miles an hour in coastal areas of its service territory.

CMP has brought in tree crews and outside contractors, and continues to seek mutual aid from utilities in other states and Canada. Utility officials note that Governor John Baldacci's emergency declaration will help efforts to move more crews into Maine so they can assist local crews with power restoration.

Following is a breakdown of outages by Service Center. Each Service Center includes the city or town listed and about a dozen surrounding communities. A map showing the service areas is available on the company's outage page on its website at www.cmpco.com.

Alfred - 29,303
Augusta - 1,968
Bridgton - 2,372
Brunswick - 33,661
Dover - 2,190
Fairfield - 99
Farmington - 1,728
Lewiston - 1,435
Portland - 45,530
Rockland - 7,283
Skowhegan - 2,276

CMP offers customers some simple steps to stay safe and comfortable if power outages do occur.

• Keep battery-operated flashlights and radios on hand, along with supplies of drinking water and non-perishable foods.
• When you use 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.
• For customers with generators:
  • Carefully read and observe all instructions in your generator's owner manual.
  • Don't run a generator indoors, even in an open garage.
  • Hire a licensed electrician to install permanent generators and transfer switches.
  • Make sure portable generators are properly grounded.
  • Don't store fuel indoors or try to refuel a generator while it's running.
  • Refer to CMP's web page on generator safety: http://www.cmpco.com/safety/generator.html.

The company also urges customers to use caution if they see downed lines.

"Everyone should stay clear of any downed power lines and fallen trees or limbs that may be tangled in the lines," said Rice. "These should all be considered live and dangerous. Customers should leave the clean-up to our crews, who are trained and equipped to handle these situations safely."

About CMP: Central Maine Power, a subsidiary of Energy East Corporation, operates more than 20,000 miles of power lines and other facilities that deliver electricity to 80 percent of Maine's population. Web site: www.cmpco.com.

About Energy East: Energy East Corporation [NYSE: EAS] is a respected super-regional energy services and delivery company that our customers can depend on every day. We are a motivated and skilled team of professionals dedicated to creating shareholder value through our focus on profitable growth, operational excellence and strong customer partnerships. We serve about 3 million customers throughout upstate New York and New England.

— CMP —