200,000 Homes Still Powerless After Snow Storm Battered Northeast

PORTLAND, Maine – More than 200,000 homes and business were still without power Sunday as restoration efforts continued days after a slow-moving storm battered the Northeast with heavy snow, rain and high winds.

Nearly 100,000 utility customers still lacked electricity Sunday in New Hampshire, the hardest-hit state. New York had about 96,000 outages and Maine 33,000.

More than a million utility customers throughout the region lost power at the peak of the storm.

Smaller outage numbers were reported in other states as hundreds of utility crews continued removing trees that knocked down power lines and replacing utility poles that snapped during the storm that crossed the region Thursday and Friday.

Shelters were set up at fire departments and schools to provide warmth and food.

Bryan Bush lost electricity Thursday, but he used a power generator he owns to turn the lights back on in his home in Kittery, Maine. Neighbors without that option have been stopping in for showers, warmth and cups of coffee.

But with three utility poles still down in front of his house and wires crossing his driveway, he wasn't too confident about getting power back anytime soon.

"I wouldn't expect much before the middle or the end of the week," he said.

Governors in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts visited storm-struck areas to meet with emergency responders and view storm damage. Officials said it could be several days before power is fully restored in New Hampshire, while Maine's largest utility hoped to restore power to all of its customers by the end of Monday.

In New Hampshire, Gov. John Lynch activated 50 National Guard members who went door-to-door in Allenstown on Sunday to check on residents without power.

"This continues to be a difficult situation for many New Hampshire families and I continue to urge people to put their safety first," Lynch said.

The storm dumped more than 2 feet of snow in New York, dropped 8 inches of rain in southern Maine and brought winds that gusted up to 92 mph off the New Hampshire coast.

Another storm, this one from the east, was expected to bring more snow and rain into parts of New England on Sunday night into Monday.

Maine stood to get the brunt of the latest front, with snow and rain also expected in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Cempa.

"We're looking at a good bet of 6 inches or so in a lot of places away from the coast," Cempa said.