Over 24,000 Mainers woke up with no power this morning, as high winds took down trees and branches overnight.

Versant was reporting 4,565 customers without power, as of 3:30 Monday morning. The majority of those outages were in Penobscot County, but there were also a significant number of customers in Aroostook, Hancock, Washington, and Piscataquis counties with no electricity.

Central Maine Power reported 20,224 customers without power, as of 6:24 a.m. Cumberland and Lincoln counties were the hardest hit. Kennebec, Knox, Sagadahoc, Waldo, and York counties also had significant outages.

Crews will be working all day, restoring electricity as quickly as possible. However, the downed lines will slow the progress, somewhat, as tree crews may have to remove branches from the lines before they can be repaired.

Power outages can be reported to Versant at 207-973-2000 or via their website, and to CMP at 800-696-1000 or via their website.

Customers are reminded to never touch downed lines, even if the power is out. Tree and branch removal should be left to the professionals. You never know when the power might be restored, and you don't want to be touching a power line, or touching a tree that's in contact with a power line, when it's turned back on.

People using generators, while the power is out, are reminded to operate them within factory specifications, to avoid injuring line crews. The generators should be kept in an open area, and not near any open doors or windows, to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Drivers are advised to take care when driving this morning, as the high winds have left tree branches and debris in the roadways.

 

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