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

Power restoration efforts to continue through night

AUGUSTA, Maine, April 16, 2007 - 9:30 p.m. Central Maine Power Company crews continue battling nature in efforts to repair damage caused by a strong coastal storm that blew through Maine on Patriots Day. The National Weather Service reported wind gusts as high as 81 miles an hour in Cape Elizabeth, as trees were blown into power lines across CMP's service area.

More than 650 lineworkers and assessors have been working in the field, and several hundred other employees have been busy in CMP offices responding to damage reports, dispatching crews, and checking on the well-being of customers. While the workforce will be scaled back somewhat during the overnight hours to provide some crews with rest time, restoration efforts will continue around the clock.

"The strong winds from this storm didn't let up all day. Trees and lines are down everywhere, especially in southern and coastal areas," said CMP spokesperson Gail Rice. "Many of our crews spent much of today responding to emergency calls about live wires on the ground, and they needed to make these areas safe before they could assess damage and make repairs."

CMP had recorded nearly 160 broken utility poles system-wide by Monday evening, and as assessment continues, that number is likely to go up.

Crews began making some headway Monday evening, and at 9:30 p.m., an estimated 119,975 CMP customer accounts remained without service. That's down from the peak of 127,585 at around 5:15 p.m.

"While new outages remain a possibility with continued gusty winds, we hope to have most customers in our Lewiston, Bridgton, Augusta, Fairfield, Dover, Skowhegan, and Farmington areas back on line Tuesday," said Rice. "But the damage in our Alfred, Portland, Brunswick, and Rockland districts is more severe, and some customers in coastal areas from Kittery to Bristol could be without service for several days."

CMP has already brought in additional tree crews and contractors, including some from Canada, and hopes to secure more help through mutual aid. With storm damage widespread along the east coast, the utility has been consulting with companies from as far west as Missouri. CMP 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 - 27,906
Augusta - 870
Bridgton - 1,505
Brunswick - 33,101
Dover - 1,225
Fairfield - 44
Farmington - 589
Lewiston - 377
Portland - 47,252
Rockland - 5,280
Skowhegan - 1,826

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 —