Cold, Lack of Power Getting Some Hot

Frustrations mounted as people stuck without electricity for more than a week since a devastating ice storm waited for utility crews to restore service. Central Maine Power Co. said 87% of its residential and business customers had power. The company said some summer residences might not be hooked up again until spring. The stress of being stuck in shelters since Jan. 9 had sent some people to hospitals for medication, said police officer Timothy Darnell in Lewiston. The tension also has been blamed for a few cases of domestic disturbances. Others are expressing their feelings with polite signs, like one outside an apartment building in Augusta that offered utility crews free coffee and doughnuts in exchange for power. Power companies said 28,115 customers were without electricity in Maine. About 500 people spent the night in shelters as temperatures fell to the teens across much of the state. In northern New York, about 53,500 customers were still waiting for service and about 1,650 people were still living in shelters.