CONWAY, New Hampshire (NEWS CENTER) - Across the border in New Hampshire the impact of the storm was not as great as in Maine.
270,000 customers were left without electricity, making it the fourth largest power outage in the state’s history. Flooding was also a big concern, washing out roads and bridges. Today Governor Chris Sununu got a first hand look at the damage.
“To understand what’s going on with the dams, roads, bridges, infrastructure, homes, flood plains. All of these areas can have a significant impact on people’s lives”, said Sununu (R) New Hampshire.
A bridge in Hart's Location was no match for the surging waters flowing into the Saco River. The damage to it effectively shutdown a busy section of Route 302.
“Mother nature is just so strong, when water over tops the bridges, it just washes them out. In this case its a little frustrating. This is the same bridge washed out in Irene”, said Emergency management Director Perry Plummer.
The Governor and Plummer wanted to hear directly from people dealing with the storm
“It’s important we get out and speak with some of the people on the front lines and the first responders, see what they’re going through, what challenges they have and see how we can provide assistance”, said Plummer.
When emergency situations hit, nearby states can typically rely on each other for assistance, but that’s not always the case.
“The power outages were severe in New Hampshire, but as you know even more severe in Maine, severe in New Jersey and New York, so the sharing of resources is tough”, said Gov. Sununu.
Now the states will look to the federal government to help pay for the damages. To qualify for federal assistance the governor says New Hampshire must meet a damage threshold of about $2 million. From what he saw today, he expects the state will reach that.