Hurricane Sandy wiped out power for three days, but crews were very much prepared for the worst, Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency Director Tod Hartung told County Commissioners at their November 6 meeting.

The county's Emergency Operations Center was staffed and ready to go by 8 a.m., Friday, Oct. 29 in preparation for the storm. Local operations centers likewise were established in towns throughout Lincoln County, ready for the worst, as reports from southern states brought news of widespread destruction. Towns like Alna opened up warming stations in local fire department buildings during the storm where residents could dry off, rest and get some refreshments. Crews worked diligently to restore power.

Strong winds knocked out power entirely on Westport Island for the duration of the storm. Hartung said utility poles were down and tree limbs had fallen and were ready to break power lines. He said it helped that the governor declared a limited state of emergency. A crew from Massachusetts traveled to Westport Island to assist in restoring power for residents.  

According to Hartung's report, 6671 homes lost power at the start of the storm (that's 25 percent). By 11:30 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 29, over 200 roads had been affected by the hurricane's wrath, with tree limbs blocking passage to cars and flooding of roadways. At 7 a.m. the following Saturday, the power outages climbed. Some 6,863 residences in Lincoln County were without power and the wind and rain caused some issues for 263 roads. 

By 8:15 p.m. Sunday, the number of residences without power dropped to 2,144 (8 percent). The number of roads needing to be cleared and tended to by crews also dropped, to 153. By Sunday night, there were just 50 residences without power in Lincoln County, according to Hartung's report.

During the course of the storm, just over 130 calls were made to the Emergency Communications Center, Hartung said. 

John Maguire can be reached at 844-4634 or jmaguire@wiscassetnewspaper.com.