PORTLAND, Maine — Power has been fully restored at Franklin Towers in Portland, nearly four weeks after it's believed to have been struck by lightning.
Power was restored Thursday for residents living on floors 7-16, according to Portland Housing Authority executive director Cheryl Sessions.
Residents on upper floors were only receiving low-load power to a handful outlets in the apartments during the ongoing outage. Sessions previously told NEWS CENTER Maine that it would be enough to power a refrigerator or necessary medical devices, but not enough to run a stove or air conditioner.
Sessions says residents can resume normal use of their appliances and outlets.
According to Sessions, electricians had to circumvent a damages portion of the electrical distribution system known as a bus bar. Sessions says this is a short-term fix to fully restore power, and a full replacement of the buildings electrical system will still be needed.