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The storm on Monday surprised many people across the state, and left a string of wind damage, flooding and power outages in its wake. At least two people have died, and at least two others remain missing as of Tuesday afternoon. Dangerous flooding has swelled into roadways and community centers, many roads have experienced closures and hundreds of thousands of people have lost power.
In short, it has been scary and ugly out there. And for some, relief might take a little while to arrive. An update from Versant Power indicated that some outages could stretch multiple days. Gov. Janet Mills also emphasized the expectation of a “multi-day recovery” in a statement announcing that state offices would be closed for the entire day on Tuesday, after closing early on Monday.
“My administration remains in close contact with Maine’s county emergency management agencies and with our electric utilities,” Mills said in part of the Tuesday statement. “We are expecting a multi-day recovery effort at this point, and, for now, we continue to strongly encourage people, especially those in more heavily impacted areas, to stay off the roads to give crews the space they need to clear debris and restore power as quickly as possible.”
Unfortunately, people need to be prepared for the dangers, challenges and inconveniences to last several days. The sun may have come out Tuesday afternoon in much of the state, but for many, power might remain out for a while. With unseasonably warm temperatures set to drop as the week goes on, Mainers should familiarize and re-familiarize themselves with recommendations and best practices about how to stay safe and warm during sustained power outages, particularly during the winter months.
Our BDN colleague Emily Burnham has put together a helpful list of ways to do just that. With temperatures expected to dip below freezing Tuesday night and again later this week, people should be conscious of the potential for pipes to freeze. With many furnaces not working, people should be very careful with alternative heating sources and make sure they are safe for indoor use — including that they won’t cause carbon monoxide poisoning. As emphasized by the Maine Emergency Management Agency, generators should never be run inside homes and other indoor areas, and people should make sure generators are 15 feet away from — and exhaust is not directed toward — windows, doors and vents.
For people who are unable to stay warm at home or looking to charge their phones, MEMA’s website includes a list of warming and other centers in communities around the state. When in doubt or without the ability to check the website, people should contact their local municipal office or public safety department to see what resources are available. People can also call 211 for information about available resources.
“Our website has a list of warming and charging centers and disaster/emergency shelters. These facilities are operated at the local level, they are not run by the state,” MEMA spokesperson Vanessa Corson said in a statement to the BDN editorial board. “Not all centers offer the same amenities; some are strictly to get warm and charge your phone while others may have showers or food. If you have medical needs or special requirements, such as powered medical equipment or medication requiring refrigeration, call the center ahead and discuss your needs. There may be stipulations on pets. Visit: Maine.gov/MEMA or call 211 Maine to find out where the centers are located.”
According to MEMA, freezers and refrigerators should be kept closed when the power goes out, and a refrigerator should keep food cold for roughly four hours while a full freezer should maintain temperature for about 48 hours. The agency recommends throwing food out if the temperature gets to 40 degrees or higher.
If people lose food bought using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, they can apply within 10 days to have that replaced.
The Maine Forest Service also has recommendations for storm cleanup. These include safely addressing downed trees and branches, and contacting utilities companies whenever power lines are entangled with trees.
BDN staff has also compiled a list of stores and restaurants in Bangor that remained open as of Tuesday, and connected with area residents as they prepared for more time without power. Along with preparedness, kindness will also be key in the next few days. There is great power in small acts of kindness, like the unknown man who helped someone pay for gas and get home to Stetson Monday night when her tank was running out, the gas station was only taking cash and she didn’t have any.
There is almost sure to be continued frustration for folks during the ongoing storm recovery. But as much as possible, let’s try not to be frustrated with each other. Let’s be patient with the staff at local stores and restaurants as they deal with long lines and logistical challenges. Let’s be patient with each other, not knowing what exact situation everyone else is facing right now. And let’s check in on family, friends and neighbors to offer help when we can.
“Mainers are tough and we won’t let this slow us down,” Nick Oettinger of Winterport told the BDN at Hannaford on Tuesday morning. We appreciate and agree with the sentiment.
Regardless of how tough Mainers are, the impacts of this storm are still going to slow some of us down more than others. We trust that the Mainers in a position to help will be there for each other this week. And we expect that local and state government will step up to provide resources to those in need, and will ask the federal government for help as well. Mills declared a state of civil emergency on Tuesday afternoon for 14 of Maine’s 16 counties, with the exception of Cumberland and York counties. This mobilizes state resources and sets the state up to request additional federal help.
If you need help, please ask for it. And if you can offer help, please do so.
