Power Outages from Winter Storm Elliott Estimated to Take 4-5 Days for Full Restoration [4 a.m. Sunday UPDATE]

Power Outages from Winter Storm Elliott Estimated to Take 4-5 Days for Full Restoration [4 a.m. Sunday UPDATE]

Photo Walter Churchill

4 a.m. UPDATE - Sunday December 25th, Christmas Day - As of 4 a.m. Sunday Christmas Day there were 25,988 Versant Customers without power.

Power Outages by County:

  • Aroostook - 2,959
  • Hancock - 13,341
  • Penobscot - 7.019
  • Piscataquis - 176
  • Waldo - 5
  • Washington - 2,488

Restoration efforts are continuing with repairs to distribution centers prioritized, followed by smaller, localized ones. Please see the 6 p.m. Saturday update below regarding how long restoration efforts are expected to take.

As Warming Shelters open in our area, we will attempt to post them. You can see an updated list HERE

 

6 p.m. - Update - Saturday December 24th. - Versant shared the following update, and unfortunately it doesn't contain good news for Mainers, especially those along the coast and in rural communities.

"Over 100 Versant Power crews and contract crews are working hard to make repairs and address safety concerns following yesterday's storm. Damage has been extensive in parts of Versant's service territory, primarily in coastal communities but also in greater Bangor and areas of northern Maine.
Due to the extent of the damage, restoration efforts are expected to be ongoing for about 4 to 5 days.
Outages in Versant's service territory peaked last night at over 70,000. They have about 50% of those customers restored, with under 34,000 customers currently without power. 60% of the peak total are expected to be restored by the end of the day today.
Today, crews focused on outages affecting 1,000 customers or more. Once those are addressed, the focus on Sunday will be on outages affecting 500 customers or more. If a customer is part of a smaller outage affecting fewer than 500 customers, it is likely they will be without power until at least Monday.
If a customer is part of a large outage with over 500 customers and finds their power is not restored, additional repairs will be needed to restore power to them, and they will also likely be without power until at least Monday. Often in large storms, repairing an issue upstream reveals more points of damage farther down the circuit.
Customers can determine the size of their outage on Versant's Live Outage Map or by speaking with a customer service representative at (207) 973-2000.

11 a.m. Update - Saturday December 24th - As of 11 a.m. Christmas Eve Day there were 47,576 Versant customers without power.

  • Aroostook - 6,952
  • Hancock - 19,046
  • Penobscot - 16,483
  • Piscataquis - 864
  • Waldo - 43
  • Washington - 4188

Versant Power crews and contractors will be out in full force today, working  to continue to assess damage, address safety issues, and restore power.  For a better look at the outages and restoration times you can visit the LIVE OUTAGE MAP
4 a.m. UPDATE Saturday December 24 -  As of 4 a.m. Christmas Eve Day there were 53,262 Versant customers without power

  • Aroostook - 5,583
  • Hancock - 18,216
  • Penobscot - 19,086
  • Piscataquis - 985
  • Waldo - 15
  • Washington - 9,377

Versant Power crews and contractors will be out in full force today, working  to continue to assess damage, address safety issues, and restore power.  For a better look at the outages and restoration times you can visit the LIVE OUTAGE MAP

From Edward Sankey - The Emergency Management Director of Hancock County

NWS Caribou has issued a flood advisory for today, 9AM-1PM to address high tide flooding overwash up to 1-foot. The public should avoid driving through any flooded waters.

And warming center needs should be directed to 211Maine. Call 2-1-1. Towns have been requested to please report centers being operated there as well.

Last, a reminder to please operate any emergency power, heat, light generation devices safely, following manufacturer’s directions.

9 p.m. UPDATE - At 9 p.m. there were 47,765 Versant customers without power

  • Aroostook County - 10,830
  • Hancock County -  15,909
  • Penboscot County - 16,791
  • Waldo County - 195
  • Washington County - 4,026

Customers without power as of 10 p.m. on Friday December 23rd should expect to be without power overnight.

Winter Storm Elliott has and continues to lash Maine with heavy winds. As of 6:52 p.m. Versant Power was reporting 34,243 customers without power.

Of that number there were over 13,000 in Penobscot County and over 11,000 in Hancock Power without power.

Repair crews will be out as soon as safely possible to begin the restoration efforts. With wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour, crews cannot safely be in bucket trucks.

As of 6:52 p.m. Versant was expecting this to be a multi-day restoration effort.

Do not attempt to remove downed lines or trees in contact with them. There have been instances where good Samaritans have tried to do this but the lines have been active and charged. 

  • Never touch a downed power line or a tree in contact with a downed line.
  • Motorists are urged to slow down or move over and change lanes, when possible, if approaching utility crews working on roadways.
  • Customers who use generators or alternate heating sources are reminded to ensure they are used in accordance with manufacturer guidelines at all times.
  • You may report outages and other problems by using Versant's Power Issue Report Form or directly from your Online Services account.
  • You may also call our Customer Contact Center at (207) 973-2000.
  • Please don’t report outages or emergencies to us through our social media channels, which are not monitored 24-7.

Versant plans to update numbers at 9 p.m. tonight

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