PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A band of strong thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain, winds and lighting caused power outages for some 1,600 people on Wednesday morning, May 23.
According to Emera Maine spokesperson Judy Long, the company was working at around 11 a.m. to restore power to approximately 1,525 people in Aroostook County and another 82 in Penobscot County.
“Crews are making repairs to restore customers served by a substation in Mapleton after a tree fell on a line in the area,” said Long in a press release.
She reminded the public never to touch a downed power line or a tree in contact with a downed line, to slow down and drive cautiously when approaching utility crews at work, and to ensure home generators or alternate heating sources are used safely.
Emera estimated power restoration by 12:30 p.m.
The National Weather Service Office in Caribou reported at 10:24 a.m. Wednesday a line of heavy showers located 8 miles southeast of Scopan, or 10 miles south of Presque Isle, moving southeast at 30 mph. Forecasters said winds in excess of 40 mph, heavy downpours and visibilities of less than a half mile were possible.
Locations impacted included Presque Isle, Caribou, Houlton, Fort Fairfield, Limestone, Patten, Mapleton, Washburn, Mars Hill, Hodgdon, Ashland, Easton, Woodland, Sherman, Island Falls, Bridgewater, Smyrna, Masardis, Amity and Mount Chase.
For updated information about outage areas and estimated restoration times, visit the utility’s Live Outage & Restoration Map. Report outages via the website or by calling the Customer Contact Center at (207) 973-2000 or 1-855-EMERA11 (1-855-363-7211).
Follow them on Twitter at @emerame.
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- A group of ducks make their way across Mantle Lake as rains recede in Presque Isle around noon Wednesday. (Anthony Brino)
