MAINE, USA — After snow changed over to freezing rain along the southern coast, ice began to form on trees and power lines causing many Mainers to lose power.
As of 2 p.m. on Sunday, Central Maine Power is reporting more than 170,000 customers still in the dark. More than 85,000 customers in Cumberland County are still without power, along with more than 40,000 customers in York County.
CMP spokesperson Jonathan Breed shared more information about the company's restoration efforts in an interview with NEWS CENTER Maine during the Weekend Morning Report.
He said Sunday's weather, especially the lack of high wind gusts, will allow 300 crews to begin assessing damage in the company's coverage area. Breed said this will be a multi-day restoration effort. If you're checking the company's website or app, Breed said you might see "assessing" alerts until Monday, which means field crews are working on downed power lines and "establishing workplans to get circuits back online."
In an email release sent out Sunday afternoon, Breed said for customers in Cumberland, York, Lincoln, Waldo, Knox, and Sagadahoc Counties, "restoration efforts will likely extend into late Tuesday or possibly even Wednesday."
Breed said Saturday's dangerous road and work conditions forced crews to only respond to emergency calls, like downed power lines or if people were stuck in vehicles. CMP workers coordinated those emergency responses with other state agencies, according to Breed.
The bulk of reported damage came between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday night, Breed added.
Meanwhile, Versant Power is reporting more than 4,000 customers without power as of Sunday afternoon. Most of those outages are in the areas of Clifton, Amherst, and Holden.
Tina Morrill, a spokesperson for Versant, told NEWS CENTER Maine Sunday, said more than 15,000 customers were without power Sunday morning, primarily in Hancock, Penobscot, and Washington counties.
Morrill said crews in the field are reporting a lot of icy conditions and prioritized emergency responses early Sunday.
Versant expects restoration efforts in its coverage area to last until Monday and should have a better idea on timing by the end of the day Sunday.
Both company spokespersons urge Mainers to use caution when driving Sunday, as there are still many downed power lines across the state. Never touch a downed line, they said, and report any downed lines you do see.