Nor’easter leaves tens of thousands without electricity

PORTLAND, Maine – Utility workers restored power to more than 150,000 homes and businesses in Maine following a weekend nor’easter, but tens of thousands of customers remained without Monday.

The storm brought as much as a foot of heavy snow and gusts topping 50 mph that knocked out electricity to more than 225,000 customers Saturday and Sunday in Maine, the hardest-hit state in New England.

About 44,000 Central Maine Power customers remained without power Monday evening, along with 1,500 Versant Power customers in eastern and northern Maine. About 900 customers were without power in New Hampshire.

“This is one of the biggest storms in terms of destruction in this century in the last 20 years,” said David Flanagan, CMP’s executive chairman.

Flanagan thanked the hundreds of utility crews and tree trimmers from around the region for their hard work. “That being said, there is still work to be done and we won’t stop until we reach full restoration for all,” he said.

Wind and heavy snow toppled tees and branches onto power lines during the storm. Some utility polls were snapped and had to be replaced.

In southern Maine, the town of York experienced a gust of 60 mph; to the north, Rangeley, Greenville and Caribou had more than 13 inches of snow.

Power won’t be fully restored for some customers in hard-hit areas until Wednesday night, the utility said.