CMP crews heading to Canada to help thousands without power

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) -Central Maine Power in Bangor is heading up to Nova Scotia after the catastrophic damage from Hurricane Fiona.

“So, CMP put in an offer last night of 16 line crews and some support staff. The offer was immediately accepted,” said Adam Desrosiers, VP of Electric Operations.

The request for help was made by Nova Scotia Power through the North Atlantic Mutual Aid Group. Sixteen two-person CMP crews (14 bucket trucks and two digger trucks), along with ten additional support personnel are heading north to help restore service for hundreds of thousands of customers without power.

“I’m expecting a lot of downed trees, a lot of downed wire broken poles, so, it’s gonna be a lot of work,” said Desrosiers.

The Canadian Hurricane Center says Fiona had the lowest pressure ever recorded for a storm making landfall in eastern Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Power reported more than 80% of its customers are without power and widespread outages are also reported on Prince Edward Island and in New Brunswick. With the agreement through North Atlantic Mutual Aid Group, Nova Scotia Power will cover all the costs of restoration efforts which are expected to take up to two weeks.

“When they get there when the phone rings to travel and go out of state to help our other utilities. These guys rise to the occasion and it makes me proud to support them and and do what we got to do to get them on the road and get them there working,” said Desrosiers.

The storm swept away houses, stripped off roofs and blocked roads.

After surging north from the Caribbean, Fiona came ashore before dawn Saturday as a post-tropical cyclone, battering Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec with hurricane-strength winds, rains and waves.

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