Skip to main content
The largest online newspaper archiveArchive Home
Morning Sentinel from Waterville, Maine • 1
A Publisher Extra® Newspaper

Morning Sentinel from Waterville, Maine • 1

Publication:
Morning Sentineli
Location:
Waterville, Maine
Issue Date:
Page:
1
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

Maine buckles under ice Storm Edition: Day 2 KENNEBEC JOURNAL iHorilUUJ L'llt I lll'l 24 PAGES 75 CENTS (free on newstand) 1998 Guy Gannett Communications SATURDAY JANUARY 1 0 1 998 Please see MAINE Page 2 Gov King tells feds to checkbook By DAVE CHEEVER Staff Writer Staff DAVID LEAMiNG Trying to rest tn theemergency shelter at the Colby College ield House are Connie Hoffman fore AUGUSTA Gov Angus King spoke with ederal Emergency Management Director James Lee Witt on riday notifying him of the extent of storm damage in Maine and offering a bit of advice told him to get his checkbook King said from the State Office Building headquarters of the Maine Emergency Management Agency qualify for disaster relief an area has to suffer $12 million in the governor said now our DOT (Department of Transportation) is running up over time of $300000 a day and is no sign of slowing down and that is just labor cost The damages to homes utilities and businesses have yet to be factored in" By noon on riday over 270000 households in Maine had lost elec trical service is the worst storm to hit Maine in a generation and accord ing to Central Maine Power it is the worst electrical related problem King said The governor had breakfast with CMP work crews Thursday morning and rode with one crew to see first hand the kind of problems utility workers are encountering attitude of Maine people is outstandingTshw the same spirit last night (Thursday) at the shelter in Waterville I felt like a concierge asking everyone if their accommo dations were King said smiling answer It may become familiar too CMP spokesman Mark Ishkanian said outlying areas might be without electrical service for a week or more like a hurricane or a traditional northeaster that hits and 24 hours later the sun is isnxanian said This is never end ing because there are so many lines down and more in peril We need a break in the weather or this could be with us for a long Restoring power will be attempt ed on a prioritized basis he said More than 100 CMP line crews tree service companies and other utility workers were struggling to repair damaged lines but ice build up con tinued to threaten new outages Twenty six crews from Eastern Utilities Associates including 60 lineworkers and supervisors from Blackstone Valley Electric and Newport Electric in Rhode Island and Eastern Edison from Massachusetts joined CMP work ers as part of a mutual aid agree ment among utilities well to remember that CMP has been quick to help us in our times of need We are glad to be able to said ield Operations vice president Marc Mahoney reeing endangered lines and repairing and replacing downed lines and transformers will continue through the weekend and deep into next week the utility executives pre dict Staff photo DAVID LEAMING National Guardsmen Randy Knox left and Dave ields help Leonard Rossignol of North Vassalboro Into the emergency shelter at Colby College in Waterville on riday wall Gimme Center open By ALAN CROWELL Staff Writer Shelter after living without heat or light since 3:15 am Thursday yesterday we were without power and we noticed he (Jeffrey) was starting to come down with a cold and we really last any said Kim it was just us we would have stayed but with the two kids out heat you just can't do she said George estimated the tempera ture in their house at between 30 ground and Rita Darling The airfield residents took refuge there riday morning Staff photo ANDY MOLLOY 'U 'f a 4 fffi 1 JXfAvTS Jf fl Wti AUGUSTA Cold and tired young and old walked through the doors of the Civic Center riday peeking shelter as the worst power outage to hit the state drove people from their homes and brought them together just like a family reunion one thing about Maine peo pie when there is a need Maine people will help each said Robert Baxter Red Cross mass care volunteer said Baxter had grabbed about an hour of sleep in the past 24 hours riday morning in between tracking down cots food blankets and anything else the refugees needed As the number of victims of the worst ice storm in memory contin upd to mount most in the Augusta area were without power riday lied Cross officials and Augusta area emergency personnel hun kered down for the long term morning it is getting hectic because we are getting more and more said Baxter George and Kim Collins of Sidney took their two young boys Jeffrey nine months and Dennis 5 into the shelter riday morning and 40 degrees ahrenheit was cold enough so that yes terday he went out and heated a baby bottle in the car there was just no other way to do it" said Kim as she sat with her family at a table in the north wing of the Civic Center The weather was the big topic of conversation as people sat together around table in the refreshment room That and when power could be restored and people could start going back to their homes' There was food enough to feed an army according to Baxter but some people were sleeping in shifts because of a temporary shortage of cots City officials had planned Thursday to use Cony High School for a shelter but switched to the Civic Center because of electrical problems at Cony The shelter pre empted a bridal show scheduled for riday By 10:30 a the population stood at about 115 and was growing at the rate of about 25 people an hour Many of those that walked through the doors volunteered their PUatt fM SHELTER Pagt 2 An arcing power line Illuminates a home on Cony Road Thursday night Lt Gene Howard of the Augusta ire Department inspects the damage Statt photo JOE PHELAN Yellow flashers of CMP trucks light up stricken Western Avenue In Augusta riday morn ing at 4 am a Staff prxjto I JOE PHELAN Ice burdened birch es and power lines create a sparkling archway for a van driving Ganneston Drive In Augusta riday morning It sounded like a war with all the popping going on and all the flashing blue have 15 trees down one across the porch" Augusta man West River Road "There are limbs and trees on the roofs" Augusta woman 8 Mayflower Road canceling the Saturday night bean supper (at Sacred Heart Church tn Hallowell) not sure going to have power back by then" Donna Gilbert armingdale Two women in line at Shop 'n Save each with a few basic items and a half gallon bottle of vodka Second woman in coversatiOn with man in line behind her "Yep the forecast calls for lots of freezing rain and tots of an old tree in the front yard with humongous branches all over the place One of the windows is bro ken and the branch is so big it's still on the house Last night we were all jumping up and down afraid that something would hit the house It sounded like a war with all the popping going on and afi the flashing blue lighta unbelievable we've never seen anythin! like this Cannes tisluk 15 84 St wall Sta Augusta amnot going to go buy every gimmick or gadget for the jim time we get a storm like this I be around for the next time" Dr Uenry Ryan was rery Impressed that I got a paper this morning QUOTES 2 or more information: topatwHahawaB: ess war 6Z1 IXB Wwrale srresu Tlw nwr rev nilrtinw i iniiifc Topeonw IOi THwClWro 1000 Uwaores ron VMhw tom SwcoquoM MK ToOWioW tX Ujawy 'atB Omreanas US Topwxxu 0000 UpCSES KB aCnS QB be faari a Vh a SAKgutouat josistwjtaal Sorry Because of technical problems associated with the severe ice storm and its eff ects on communities in Central Maipe we are presenting a combined Kennebec Joumal Moming Sentinel special edition Many regular features do not appear We apologue for the convenience.

Get access to Newspapers.com

  • The largest online newspaper archive
  • 300+ newspapers from the 1700's - 2000's
  • Millions of additional pages added every month

Publisher Extra® Newspapers

  • Exclusive licensed content from premium publishers like the Morning Sentinel
  • Archives through last month
  • Continually updated

About Morning Sentinel Archive

Pages Available:
946,968
Years Available:
1904-2024