Storm cuts power to 40,000 Mainers

A late autumn storm brought soaking rains, high winds and heavy snow to northern New England on Tuesday, knocking out power to tens of thousands of people and causing headaches for drivers.

By late afternoon, more than a foot of snow was reported in northern New Hampshire and at the Killington ski resort in Vermont. More than half a foot was reported in western Maine, and the Sunday River ski resort in Newry said it had gotten more than 8 inches.

Gov. John Baldacci declared a state of emergency late Tuesday, a move that will allow power crews from other states to come to Maine to help restore electricity. An estimated 40,000 Maine households were without power at around 9:30 p.m. with the storm still raging throughout the state.

The National Weather Service reported that sustained winds

of 40 to 50 mph were clocked along the Maine coast, causing

thousands of customers in

Hancock County to lose power.

About 2 inches of rain had fallen in many areas by afternoon, with forecasters warning of more rain through the evening. A flood warning was posted for parts of southern Maine and New Hampshire.

Slushy road conditions were blamed for a traffic death in central Maine.

“It’s a messy mix,” said Butch Roberts of the weather service office in Gray.

The strong winds and heavy snow downed tree limbs and knocked out power in many areas.

The combination of falling trees and live electrical wires sparked several small fires in central Maine on Tuesday night. In Dixmont, a tree knocked down wires that apparently sent a jolt of electricity through a home, potentially destroying appliances inside.

A partially downed tree also sparked a small fire in Glenburn, forcing crews to close a portion of Route 221 (Hudson Road). Numerous other roads throughout the region also were closed due to fallen trees.

Nearly 7,000 Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. customers were without power just before 9 p.m. The vast majority of those outages were in Hancock County.

Bangor Hydro called in additional staff to help with storm damage, but the outages were so dispersed that restoring power to all areas will likely take time, said company spokeswoman Susan Faloon.

“There will be people without power overnight, so we just want people to be prepared for that,” Faloon said.

In addition to widespread outages in Hancock County, Bangor Hydro was reporting outages in Bangor, Brewer and Orono.

Some outages occurred as vehicles slid off roads and into utility poles, said Central Maine Power spokeswoman Gail Rice.

Some 12,000 CMP customers were without power at one point Tuesday afternoon, and most schools in South Portland were dismissed early after losing power. Public Service of New Hampshire reported about 3,900 homes and businesses were without power in the early afternoon.

CMP said the number of outages was down to about 7,300 later in the day.

“As long as the wind blows the numbers could go up and down,” said Central Maine Power spokeswoman Gail Rice.

The governor’s decision to declare a state of emergency allows electrical crews to work longer hours and opens the door for out-of-state crews to help with repairs in Maine. In a statement, Baldacci urged residents to limit travel and avoid downed power lines.

“I know that crews are working hard to restore power as quickly as possible. We can all help them by staying out of their way,” Baldacci said.

As is often the case in early season snowstorms, there were numerous reports of minor traffic accidents and cars sliding off the roads in inland areas that received snow.

“It always takes three or four storms for people to get their driving habits back again,” said Maine State Police spokesman Stephen McCausland.

Ronald Herrick, 69, of Poland was killed when his car slid sideways in slush on Poland Center Road and crossed the centerline into an oncoming pickup truck, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department said.

BDN writer Kevin Miller contributed to this report.