CMP Responding to Outages Caused by Isaias

Crews working overnight to make areas safe, begin restoration

AUGUSTA, Maine — August 4, 2020 — 

Central Maine Power (CMP) is responding to outages this evening caused by winds from Tropical Storm Isaias. At 9:30 PM the company reported over 64,000 outages with York and Cumberland Counties having the highest numbers, over 20,000 each. CMP crews are working with County and local Emergency Management officials to clear roads as needed, assessing damage and repairing and restoring.

“Our crews are out, ensuring roads and communities are safe and assessing damage. We expect the wind to die down early in the morning, enabling us to focus on restoration and to work more quickly,” said David Flanagan, Executive Board Chair of CMP. “We are fortunate to have the assistance of the contractors from New Brunswick as all utilities and contractors south of Maine are engaged in this storm.”

Severe wind gusts may prevent workers from going up in buckets; CMP prioritizes the safety of all employees and contractors.

In addition to about 100 CMP crews, the company has approximately 90 contracted lineworkers, including 20 from New Brunswick, Canada, and 100 tree crews responding to the outages.

CMP crews and contractors are also adhering to COVID-19 protocols that include appropriate social distancing practices for field employees and contractors 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 as situations require

Customers may use online tools, accessible at www.cmpco.com to report and monitor outages.

If you lose service:

  • To report an outage, visit Outage Central at cmpco.com. Customers may also report an outage using CMP’s 24/7 automated phone system at 800.696.1000.
  • Keep sensitive electronic appliances such as computers, TVs and stereos plugged into a surge protector, or unplug them. They could be damaged if a power surge occurs when electricity is restored.
  • Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. For information about food safety, visit http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/refridg_food.html.
  • Never use a stove or oven, or an outdoor grill or heater, as an indoor space heater to stay warm. Only use space heaters intended for indoor use inside or in enclosed spaces, following the manufacturer’s instructions. If you are unable to keep your home safely heated, call Maine 211 for resources.

For customers with generators:

  • Hire a licensed electrician to install permanent generators and transfer switches.
  • Properly ground all portable generators.
  • Carefully read and observe all instructions in your generator’s operating manual.
  • Never run a generator indoors, or even in an open garage.
  • If your carbon monoxide detector goes off – get out of the building immediately and call 911.
  • Do not store fuel indoors or try to refuel a generator while it’s running.
  • Refer to CMP’s web page on generator safety.

#  #  #

 

About CMP: Central Maine Power Company (CMP), a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc., is Maine’s largest electricity transmission and distribution utility. Established in 1899 and based in Augusta, Maine, CMP serves approximately 624,000 customers across 346 communities in central and southern Maine. It operates approximately 23,500 miles of distribution lines and 2,900 miles of transmission lines. Over the last decade, the company has invested approximately $2.6 billion in Maine system infrastructure. In 2019, CMP was named Large Business of the Year by the Kennebec Valley United Way. For more information, visit www.cmpco.com.

 

About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a leading, sustainable energy company with approximately $34 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states. With headquarters in Orange, Connecticut, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs approximately 6,600 people. AVANGRID supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2019 and 2020 by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.

Media Contact:

Node: liferay-0:8080