Emergencies issued in Maine, New Hampshire

A major spring storm has left thousands without power and led to emergency declarations in Maine and New Hampshire.

Portions of the Northeast received as much as 1 foot of snow along with rain, high winds and freezing temperatures, the Associated Press reported.

Avalanches remain a concern, as are the number of visitors expected in Maine and New Hampshire for the solar eclipse.

Maine emergency proclamation

Widespread power loss and road closures in York, Cumberland and Androscoggin counties led to an hours-of-service waiver issued on Friday, April 5.

“Fuel delivery crews will need to work continuously to ensure continuity of supply, particularly for generator customers during the storm recovery,” Maine Gov. Janet Mills wrote in the declaration.

As of the morning of Monday, April 8, PowerOutage.us reported nearly 7,500 customers were still without power in Maine.

Last night I signed a proclamation allowing fuel delivery trucks to stay on the road longer to ensure Maine people have access to heating fuel as we recover from this week’s severe storm. pic.twitter.com/sI6O6BP6pn

— Governor Janet Mills (@GovJanetMills) April 6, 2024

Maine’s emergency declaration is effective through Tuesday, April 9 and applies to intrastate deliveries to customers in the aforementioned counties.

Emergency order in New Hampshire

The New Hampshire declaration also pertains to fuel, as well as to “foodstuffs” and the repair of utility outages within the state.

Waivers of hours-of-service and IFTA requirements for eligible motor carriers and drivers will be granted through Sunday, April 14.

“It is deemed that a declaration of emergency is required to ensure the continuation of these essential services to both residential and commercial establishments,” the order said.

New Hampshire 911 is receiving calls all across the state for wires and trees down due to the storm. Please stay away from all downed wires. To report wires down call 911 and stay well clear of them.
To report a power outage, please contact your utility company.
📸: Weare Police pic.twitter.com/jNsFVkVQeP

— New Hampshire 911 (@NewHampshire911) April 4, 2024

Drivers who utilize the New Hampshire exemption may come back into compliance and restart their hours of service after taking 34 hours off duty at the end of their extended-hours period. LL

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