High Winds Leave Thousands Without Power

The high winds overnight have tens of thousands of Mainers waking up with no electricity this morning.

It was an interesting drive to work this morning, as I dodged downed tree limbs, and even one small tree that completely blocked one lane of an Orrington road.The streets were carpeted with a thick layer of leaves that also blew down, thanks to the huge wind gusts that shook the trees all night.

All those falling limbs and trees have wreaked havoc for Maine's utility companies, who have crews out in force, restoring power. As of 6:55 this morning, Central Maine Power reported 58,623 customers without electricity throughout its coverage area. Emera Maine reported 10,549 customers experiencing outages, as of 7:09 a.m.

The progress could be slow today, as the majority of the outages are due to falling branches and trees. Residents are reminded to report outages to Emera Maine or CMP and let them deal with the issue. It's never safe to touch a downed line, and residents should leave the clearing of debris up to the professionals.