Submitted by exploremore617 t3_119ep0l in Maine
New resident to the Saco area. I’ve read and heard some horror stories about outages. How bad is it in the Saco area with the upcoming storm? Does it go out for days? I understand this is a pretty general question but be nice to hear some historical insight from residents in the area.
I live in falmouth foreside, the longest I've ever lost power for is 3 minutes, and that was in 1977.
That’s fair and if someone asked me my specific town I could give them specific zones that are more prone to power outages. I’ve also never had issues with just internet back in MA. Always just power. Today I got a text about potential outages from Spectrum.
Yeah I would say the same for Internet as well. Usually back within a matter of hours not days. If you're in North Saco it tends to be a longer wait but even that is dependent on how bad the storm actually is.
Large internet outage is usually due to power loss at a critical node in the spectrum network. Wells area was devastated in the last storm, with over 100 lines down between the house and the pole.
Most days the power doesn’t go out. Sometimes the power goes out for days. Ayuh.
Folks in saco don't go "ayuh"
You’re not a real Mainer
🤣🤣🤣 ma's from the county and dad came from Bangor, thanks
Bangor?? City boy.
Also, folks in saco don't go, "ayuh"
You'd be surprised how many people in Cumberland and York Counties say "Ayuh" it's not a vast majority, but definitely a large population. Then again, might just be the people I happen to hang out with.
There’s literally no way to predict.
Hence the last sentence. Hearing historical can be insightful.
> Hearing historical can be insightful.
Not really.
Some major storms have zero outages. A minor dusting can send some truck into a pole and take out service for a day.
There’s no way to predict.
This is what I found too. I bought my house in 2016 and that first year I I lost power every time the wind blew. I bought a generator and barely lose power long enough to fire it up. It’s totally in predictable.
I’m sure your neighbors are thankful for your purchase
What he’s asking is if the power goes out during every storm. No need to be a turd
That’s not what OP asked.
What major storm has resulted in no outages in Maine?
In Saco? Plenty of them. I didn’t put them in my diary so o can’t tell you the dates.
Maine is a big place with varied geography, infrastructure, and weather. There's no one answer for the whole state. In the Saco area, these factors combine to make outages unpredictable.
One can I say the past 3 winters we’ve had x amount of major storms and have lost power x% and x% for just internet outage. I’m guessing the school system isn’t great in the area
You're quite demanding. You started out asking for people's experience in the area and when they gave you an honest answer about their experience that you didn't like, you decided you require compiled historical data with analysis. Does google not work on your laptop?
It’s literally in my post text numb nuts. Sorry I had to give you a specific example so you could comprehend it. Also your one post you made was a googleable question, oh the irony.
Massachusetts sending us their best.
Who dropped you as a child?
It’s Saco, perhaps unfamiliar with the state but that far south and in a metropolitan area you’ll have fairly light winters as a whole. They keep up on it down south.
Live up near caribou? You would want a generator.
Cheers on doubling down on your approach. The school systems are good enough that folks learn the definition of random. I’ve held power and internet through ice storms and lost it for 2 sunny days because a drunk driver hit a pole. Consider it more susceptible to random events than say, Boston.
Figure out a backup system, and laugh to yourself when you never need it after you buy it.
I’m asking about people’s experience in the area. Not really asking for a prediction about my specific service
> people’s experience in the area
I lived in Saco for 20 years.
My experience is that it’s not predictable.
You could easily give some kind of indication of how these things typically go, you're just being an ass for the sake of it.
> Some major storms have zero outages. A minor dusting can send some truck into a pole and take out service for a day.
That's how it typically goes. Much as I hate to say it, guygan is right.
Yes but by that logic if someone asks you "what is someone in the US's life expectancy" then you can just say "oh no way of knowing a meteor could hit you on the head anytime impossible to tell"
It's not, the information is out there and we have an idea of how this shit goes.
Why don’t you fucking get off your own ass and answer the OP’s question? You’re spending more time bitching about people rolling their eyes at this stupid question than in doing something yourself. FFS hahaha what a scrotum
> You could easily give some kind of indication of how these things typically go
No, I can’t easily do that. Because it’s not predictable and it “typically” doesn’t go any typical way.
You can unless you're an idiot.
> You can unless you’re an idiot
Please enlighten us as to how non-idiots can accurately predict internet outages in and entire city of 20,000 residents.
You're in another comment telling this guy historical data is irrelevant - you should tell all the meteorologists who use historical data to try to predict that exact thing. You're being obtuse.
Historical data isn’t used for weather forecasts. Current data and computer models are.
It's used to predict power outages homie.
"When storm patterns look like this with a combination of wind, temperature and recent climate, we can expect 30k-50k outages" or whatever. Happens all the time.
Yeah? Give us a link to one then.
Ok - here ya go
It's almost like even though it's hard to predict with 100% accuracy, we're still able to use what we know about past events to give us a more accurate idea of what might happen
"Obviously, 65 mph or even 70 mph is a big number, but it's important to keep in mind these are GUSTS not sustained winds. So, no, this is not "hurricane-force" wind. Category 1 Hurricanes have SUSTAINED winds of 74 mph. Big difference. (Sorry, pet peeve). In addition, we don't have any leaves on the trees and there is snowpack on the ground in a lot of places, which helps us when it comes to power outages.
That being said, I expect a lot of outages from this event. It's just too much wind and it's out of the southeast, which hasn't historically been a kind wind direction for Maine."
So after busting everyone's balls for being unspecific, you're hauling out "A lot of outages" as a sufficient answer?
I think you know just where you can cram it, buddy.
Well then ask the people who make those predictions.
OP asked for first hand experience. I gave mine.
Reading comprehension really isn’t your strong suit
You write like you think you’re more intelligent than the kind Maine Reddit posters answering your stupid question. Yet your question is just plain stupid.
Who hurt you?
Your mom. It was nice. Woohoo
I'm seeing a bunch of Mainers be an absolute dick to this guy - good representation.
It's also not a stupid question at all, outage experiences are going to vary from say, fucking Weld and this example, Saco. So, as local, you might have some idea of how this shit typically goes. Instead of offering that info, y'all are in here being cunts.
Lot of good your moral superiority does. Instead of bitching about people being mean to the guy who wrote “reading isn’t your strong suit”, why don’t you share your learned experience in approximating the likelihood of power outages in Saco, Maine. A quick google search shows one major event over the past 5 years, you scrotum.
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I could easily tell someone about outage experience in my old town. I could give examples of prior storms and what areas were losing power on a regular basis.
But you are not asking about your former area. You are asking about this area and we are telling you the honest truth which is that it's unpredictable.
For real had one poster creep my profile and made some assumption I came to Maine to grow pot 🙄
The info about the Saco area is that it's unpredictable. Why is that so hard to understand?
omg just please shut the fuck up
>as local, you might have some idea of how this shit typically goes
Yes. I do have some idea of how this shit typically goes, and I'm telling you: power/internet might go out; then again it might not.
You asked for my experience, yes?
I told you what my experience was.
Their literal experience in this literal particular area that you are asking about is that it's literally unpredictable. Versus other areas where you literally do know for sure it's gonna be out for at least a couple days regardless. It may be out for a couple days, or several hours, or a few minutes, or not at all. It depends on the storm and a variety of other factors. They really are answering your question the best way it's possible to answer it. Ever heard the Maine expression "hard tellin not knowin"? I'd suggest you accept that and move on.
Asking about Predictability and peoples recent experience in a specific geographic area are very different.
I'm sorry that you deal with comprehension difficulties. I will repeat. Try to focus. People's recent lived experience in the specific geographic area you are asking about is that power outages in that area are unpredictable. For some reason this makes you angry.
Projecting I see.
Angry guy from Massachusetts who likes to argue says other people are projecting.
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You're gonna be fine, Saco is relatively populated so if you do lose power you should get it back in less than a day, multiple days are usually for bigger storms with lots of tree damage from high winds, I don't think wind is really much of an issue with this one, mostly snow and rain.
Thank you!
Sometimes the power goes out, sometimes it doesn’t. Part of living in this state is being prepared for anything…in the best of ways, and sometimes in the worst. This is one of the few places in the world you can shred some powder at sugarloaf one day, then go golfing the next. Orrrrr…you could (should) have a generator to power your (possibly, second) home for many hours at a time. Lots of winter left…next couple weeks are looking volatile tbh
You are more accessible to crews to repair utilities, in Saco, than 95% of the state…if that helps.
True and bring on the snow! I’m here for it. I’ve just heard tons of horror stories about both and wasn’t sure how my area faired compared to others.
Most of the horror stories are from the ice storm in the’90’s. As much as CMP gets shit on their line crews do an amazing job
I’ve lived in the downtown area for about 10 years. I’ve never had the power go out from a storm. It always goes out on a clear sunny day with nothing going on. Spectrum on the other hand, if you sneeze, all bets are off.
Is it that bad? I always had good experience with storms and not losing internet back with my previous provider
I may have exaggerated slightly, but spectrum typically has problems during or after power outages as their infrastructure relies on electric power and can take a while to recover after a storm
Let me guess… you are originally from Boston and worried about your weed plants being without lights?
Lol!!
Nope, more so just thinking about a game plan for working from home. Quick to assume but nice try!
Plan on no power, and if you have it great!
Which reminds me, gotta check all the battery banks.
Could you charge your laptop and work from a hot spot from your phone? Starbucks usually stay open too
unless the power is out...
Well if your laptop is charged tonight, doesn’t the battery stay on for a few hours? Does your phone keep a charge? If you are THAT concerned about working, you can always buy a generator too
I was referring to Starbucks there... where you suggested they go...
Make sure your mobile phone is fully charged. Use it as a hot spot if power/cable goes out.
CMP and Spectrum send notices to customers as a courtesy heads up that there MIGHT be outages. Don't overthink it. But do be prepared.
Snowflake
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Bottom line: You moved to Maine. Maine has unpredictable weather, with unpredictable impact on services like electric, cable, and internet. Be prepared. And if you cannot survive a couple hours without certain services, you are living in the wrong place.
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barely made it out of hannaford.
The area off of Jenkins Road seems to lose power the most.
We live in the most heavily forested state in the country, outages aren't predictable but they are inevitable.
Never asked about a prediction asking about recent experiences in the area
out ferry road toward camp ellis is probably the most vulnerable to routine storm outages. but a private road in north saco is more likely to be out for a longer period of time (less dense, lower priority fix). beyond that, it comes down to where your house/apartment is vs whatever goes wrong. asking your neighbors would be the best way to know.
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It’s highly recommend to people to get a generator for back up incase the power goes out. Unfortunately CMP has not hired nearly enough linemen to replace the workforce they had in 80s and early 90s. It’s same for most power companies (hence why they bring in out of state linemen).
Former Saco resident here, lived there for 6 years. Our power rarely went out and when it did go out it certainly wasn't for days at a time. I think you'll be fine.
And sorry for the bad attitude of the people here...the storm's getting to them. 6+ inches or so of frozen cloud pee can do that to a person. That, and...y'know, it's Reddit.
Expect a minimum if 2 weeks per outage, and in maine they are allowed to charge you for what you would have used had the power been in, and a percentage of what it cost to restore service as well as a requirement to buy lunch for 2 employees.
If it does go out. It will likely not be for long in Saco. Most of the time ,when it's out for an extended period it is in more rural areas.
Hi friend! I’m in the Cornish area so not near you really but my husband and I also work from home, this is our game plan:
Power out?
Internet down?
Both out?
No generator access?
You can thank people from MA for that. They are the only thing wrong with Maine.
Typically depends on your proximity to public buildings like Fire Stations, Police Stations, Town Hall, Public Works, Community Centers, etc. Infrastructure leading to and in close proximity of these locations is usually more reliable and receives priority when outages occur. The farther you get from these buildings the longer an outage may last in the event they become widespread.
Okay... so maybe you're thinking that getting some knowledge will help you feel in control.
No. Push that out of your head now. Uncertainty is honestly a part of living here, which is why everyone has been down voting you. Show some spirit and just ride it out like the rest of us. If it happens, it happens. As others have said, hard telling not knowing.
I’ve actually gotten solid responses from some people. Some people just have their heads up their assess and think I’m asking about predictability vs their experiences with winter storms. Two very different things. Have a great day!
I’ve lived in several states in the Northeast before moving to Maine and it doesn’t seem that power outages are more likely in Maine than in other states. CMP likes to send out emails like this to try to get you to think they care. But I’m loving having a wood stove, no worries about the cold as long as the woodpile is stocked up.
Saco Biddeford and most coastal rarely has power issues. You only really start getting iffy service out in the country
I hear the internet is better in MA, better stay there.
Didn’t make it past the first 4 words in the text, impressive!
CMP’s unofficial nickname of “Can’t Maintain Power” is there for a reason…
I grew up in York (Frost Hill Road) and have lived in Maine for 50+ years, and in all that time, CMP has been consistently inconsistent, power is so unreliable that they have trouble maintaining it on a sunny day, let alone in inclement weather…
I had all my sensitive electronics on oversized UPS backups for a reason…
xHospitalHorsex t1_j9lv0v8 wrote
Lifelong Saco resident. Sorry you're getting snarky answers but the truth is it's literally impossible to predict. I will say that in most parts of Saco going without power for more than a day or two is rare.