Portland City Opens 2 Emergency Warming Shelters For Residents Still Without Power

From the City of Portland:

Posted on: October 18, 2019

The City of Portland is opening two warming shelters for those residents who are still without power and need a warm place to visit, charge electronics, or sleep overnight. The warming shelters will be located at the Reiche Community Center at 166 Brackett Street and the Riverton Community Center at 1600 Forest Avenue. The emergency shelters will be open from 6:00 PM Friday night until 8:00 AM Saturday morning. Any elderly or disabled residents who would like to use one of the shelters, but cannot get there on their own should call the City’s non-emergency dispatch line at 207-874-8575 to arrange transport.

If power is not fully restored to Peaks Island by later this afternoon, the Peaks Island Community Center will be open from 6:00 PM tonight until 8:00 AM on Saturday.

According to Central Maine Power, the city of Portland was one of the hardest hit communities and could take the longest to fully restore. There are currently 9,917 customers in Portland still without power.

The City would like to remind residents to please check on any neighbors who may be elderly or physically challenged to ensure they are safe and warm if they do not have power. Also, if you are using a generator, please remember to follow proper generator usage.

For daytime use, the Portland Public Library’s main branch is open Friday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and on Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. For additional branch locations and hours, visit: https://www.portlandlibrary.com/.

Unfortunately, the shelters cannot accommodate pets. Anyone planning to stay overnight should make sure they have any necessary medications with them.

This press release was produced by the City of Portland. The views expressed here are the author’s own.