Maine is still cleaning up from Monday’s storm, and by all accounts, it will take days before everything is up and running.
While many Mainers await the return of their electricity and heat, let’s take stock of the storm and what to expect in the coming days.
How many people have no power?
That is a constantly shifting number, but just before 11 a.m. Wednesday, Central Maine Power Co. reported 195,654 outages and Versant Power 54,001. The number of outages has fallen from more than 420,000 just after the storm subsided late Monday night and early Tuesday morning.
When will power be restored across the state?
CMP and Versant Power have shied away from giving exact restoration, stating they continue to assess damage and investigate outages. Right now, many Mainers can expect to be without power through the end of the week (or even Christmas) as the utilities work to address downed power lines, assess damage and make repairs. That includes a number of substations, which Versant Power has stated need to be repaired before addressing other outages.
What are authorities doing?
Gov. Janet Mills declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon to activate additional resources to speed along the recovery. Meanwhile, warming shelters have been opened across the state to provide Mainers relief from the cold. The Maine Emergency Management Agency didn’t issue a news release ahead of the storm, like it did before last week’s smaller storm and Hurricane Lee in September.
What should I do if I still don’t have power?
If you can’t make it to a warming shelter, you can conserve heat at home by gathering everyone, pets included, into one room with the doors closed and any drafts plugged up. If you have a woodstove or fireplace, you can use that to fend off the cold.
Battery-powered flashlights and lanterns or candles can help you light up your home during the long nights.
You can find more tips for staying safe here.
How strong were the winds?
The wind speeds exceeded the expectations of many officials and forecasters, leaving the state somewhat unprepared for the coming storm.
The highest recorded wind speed was 93 mph in the small Washington County township of Trescott, while gusts ranged from 60 mph in Greater Bangor to more than 75 mph along the coast.
How much rain did Maine get?
A lot.
Bangor saw 2.52 inches of rain, surpassing the previous record of 0.68 inches for Dec. 18 set in 1975, according to the National Weather Service office in Caribou.
Other communities that saw significant rainfall, according to weather service spotters, include:
— 7.6 inches in West-northwest Newry
— 6.06 inches in west-southwest Kingfield
— 5.42 inches in Bethel
— 5.38 inches in southwest Dover-Foxcroft
— 5.33 inches in Rangeley
— 5.32 inches in south Bridgton
— 5.16 inches in Farmington
— 5.12 inches in Harrison
— 4.99 inches in northwest Auburn
— 4.63 inches in east-northeast Greenville
— 4.53 inches in Mechanic Falls
— 4.07 inches in Lisbon
— 4.02 inches in Turner
— 3.87 inches in Lewiston
— 2.97 inches in Augusta
— 2.57 inches in Calais
— 2.57 inches in Hallowell
— 2.5 inches in west Old Town
— 1.98 inches in Waterville
Where was the worst flooding?
All that rain led to many roads becoming inundated and unpassable, as well as swelling rivers far beyond their banks.
Some of the worst flooding was reported in Farmington, Augusta, Hallowell, Lewiston, Fairfield, Waterville and numerous other communities.
That prompted evacuation orders, including early Tuesday morning in Brownville Junction where firefighters had to remove people from homes close to the Pleasant River.
At least two people are missing after the vehicle they were in was carried away by flood waters Monday and swept into the Swift River between Rumford and Mexico.
