Trick-or-treating delayed amid cleanup after Northeast storm

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine

Hundreds of out-of-state reinforcements bolstered utility crews struggling to restore power throughout New England on Tuesday, a day after a powerful storm blew down trees and postponed Halloween activities in many communities.

The storm, packing gusts that topped 80 mph, left nearly 1.5 million homes and business across the region in the dark at the peak Monday. More than 600,000 utility customers remained without power Tuesday.

The storm caused more power outages in Maine than an infamous 1998 ice storm, which left some people in the dark for two weeks.

The state’s two major utilities said favorable weather and extra crews will allow them to complete the task of restoring power this weekend.

“We’re a resilient state, and we’re used to severe storms,” Peter Rogers, acting director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency, told reporters in Augusta. “That doesn’t make them any less devastating.”

In Maine, the nation’s most heavily wooded state, fallen trees were tangled in power lines. Trees, limbs and leaves littered roads. Fences, vehicles and houses were smashed by falling trees and limbs.

Miraculously, no serious injuries were reported.

The storm packed winds gusting to 82 mph on Cape Cod, Mass., 78 mph at the Isle of Shoals, N.H., and 69 mph in Portland, Maine.

Some cities and towns across New England postponed trick-or-treating from Halloween night, Tuesday, to as late as Sunday due to concerns about pitch-black streets, downed power lines and debris.

In Harpswell, Maine, Samantha Morrell dealt with a tearful 8-year-old daughter after Halloween events were canceled in Harpswell and Topsham, where she has family. Neighboring Brunswick also was discouraging trick-or-treating.

“She was hysterical,” Morrell said of her young zombie cheerleader. “She said, ‘They can’t cancel Halloween!’”

From Maine to Rhode Island, Coast Guard officials were assessing damage. Crews identified more than 50 vessels torn from their moorings.