HOULTON, Maine — Houlton Public Works and Houlton Water Company had a busy day on Sept. 30, as heavy winds contributed to power outages and fallen trees around the town and other towns in the southern Aroostook area.
Wednesday’s windstorm caused gusts that exceeded 40 miles per hour, blowing the leaves off many trees and in some instances causing trees to fall over completely. Several of the trees fell over electrical wires, causing small fires that had to be put out.
Dan Toby of the Houlton Department of Public Works cuts down a tree branch of a fallen tree by Alfred Street in Houlton. (Alexander MacDougall | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Members of the Houlton Department of Public Works were assembled to visit several sites of fallen trees, and remove fallen branches using saws to clear roadways, such as a tree that fell near Alfred Street and another on U.S. Route 1.
In addition to several trees falling, many residents in the southern Aroostook area lost power to their homes, which power companies such as Houlton Water Company and Eastern Maine Electric worked to restore in the afternoon.
Members of the Houlton Department of Public Works inspect a fallen tree by Alfred Street in Houlton. (Alexander MacDougall | Houlton Pioneer Times)
The winds affected Versant Power customers in central and northern Aroostook County as well, with the power company reporting outages in roughly three dozen locations throughout the region. At 4:04 p.m. Versant said 3,804 in The County were without power, with crews working to resolve the outages.
As of Thursday afternoon the highest gusts recorded by the National Weather Service office in Caribou were 46 mph in Houlton, 38 mph in Presque Isle, 51 mph in Caribou and 48 mph in Frenchville.
A fallen tree by Alfred Street in Houlton. (Alexander MacDougall | Houlton Pioneer Times)
