America - 400,000 still without power in icy Northeast
400,000 still without power in icy Northeast
(CNN) -- About 400,000 power customers in New England are still without electricity Monday after an ice storm ravaged the region last week, officials say.
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2008/12/595.jpg Utility workers repair lines Sunday in Londonderry, New Hampshire.
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That's down from 800,000 Sunday evening and more than a million at the height of the storm.
But in some hard-hit Massachusetts counties, 90 percent of the customers of Western Massachusetts Electric were still in the dark as of 9 a.m. Monday, the company said on its Web site.
New Hampshire still had more than 150,000 customers without power Monday morning.
"In my 26 years here, it's the worst scene in terms of damage. It's tough but you just keep rolling. You try not to think about it. We try to get it on. We know it's cold and it's hard for them," Dan Boots, of Public Service of New Hampshire, told CNN affiliate WCAX-TV.
In Stoddard, New Hampshire, National Guard troops were going door to door to check on residents, CNN affiliate WMUR-TV reported.
"We're just taking it step by step, being cautious and communicating, trying to get the area clear," Sgt. Bryan Donisi told WMUR.
"I've got a wood stove and everything. The only thing we can't do is take a shower," Stoddard resident Mike Fleming told WMUR. https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2008/07/629.jpg Watch how New Hampshire residents struggle with ice »
New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch urged residents to take advantage of shelters and to watch for others who might need help.
"I am also asking people look in on their neighbors, especially seniors or those who may be living alone. The utilities are reporting that it will be next week before the power is returned to everyone, so I want to stress how important it is to plan appropriately," he said in a statement Sunday.
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Officials with National Grid power in New York state reported about 67,000 customers without power on Monday.
The company told CNN affiliate WRGB-TV in Albany that gusty winds forecast for some of the affected areas Monday could slow power restoration efforts.
Temperatures, however, were favoring repair crews Monday, going up into the 50s.
National Grid officials told WRGB they expected to have most service restored by Wednesday.
But temperatures were expected to dip well below freezing again by early Thursday.
Crews from Canada and from states as far away as Tennessee, Maryland and Ohio were dispatched to help bring electricity back online, according to power companies.
Unitil Corp., which had customers without power in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, said repair chores were formidable. https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2008/07/629.jpg Watch how difficult it is for workers to get through the streets »
"Some circuits are having to be completely rebuilt, requiring extended periods of time to restore electric service to customers in the most severely affected areas," the utility said in a statement Monday morning.
NYSEG, in Mechanicville, New York, said about 15,000 of its customers still lacked power Monday morning. It said centers had been set up at local fire stations to distribute dry ice and bottled water.
President Bush has authorized federal aid by declaring a state of emergency in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. iReport.com: 'It looks like a war zone here'
Wintry weather was wreaking havoc across the country's northern half.
• One person died and another was trapped for a time in a pair of avalanches in the Utah mountains Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
