Line workers sent home as Mainers remained in dark

By DAVID SHARP/Associated Press/January 4, 2014

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Hundreds of utility line crew workers and tree trimmers left the state when they finished their work for Central Maine Power instead of staying after the Christmas week ice storm because Bangor Hydro Electric Co. waved off the extra help even as hundreds of customers remained in the dark for four to five more days.

But the Maine Public Utilities Commission consumer assistance division received only 10 to 20 calls from people who were concerned about the length of time they were without lights and heat.

Bangor Hydro had already called in reinforcements and couldnt provide logistics for extra workers as the utility raced to finish its own power restoration in eastern Maine, said spokesman Bob Potts.

By the time we got additional crews, got them briefed, got housing, by the time all that happened, we felt we'd have people in those areas and have power restored. Theres a lot of logistics of getting them up here, Potts said, noting that all hotel rooms in the Ellsworth area were already booked.

The ice storm began on the weekend before Christmas, and by Dec. 23, utilities were beginning to see power outages increase as the ice accumulated on power lines and tree limbs.

Before it was over, more than 160,000 homes and businesses were in the dark for some time. Some customers, especially around Ellsworth, lost power for eight to 10 days. Highs were in the 20s and 30s that week.

George Elias, owner of Rooster Brother, an Ellsworth store that sells kitchen items, cookware, wine, cheese and baked goods, said it was a bad time to lose electricity.

This was a really a hard one for a lot of people. People had no heat or power for days. They had family coming. They had to cancel all their family gatherings, he said.

Central Maine Power called in an additional 370 utility crews and 320 tree-trimming crews, some from as far away as Pennsylvania, bringing the total number of line crews to 455 and tree-trimming crews to 450, said spokesman John Carroll.

See the article here:
Line workers sent home as Mainers remained in dark