Lebanon, Acton could be waiting the weekend for their power to come back on

As of 7:30 p.m., on Friday more than 140,000 Eversource customers remained without power across New Hampshire as utility crews work to restore service. (Courtesy photo)

While the great majority of Greater Rochester residents have had their power restored, residents of Lebanon, Berwick and Acton, Maine, will likely spend much of the weekend in continued darkness after the most destructive nor'easter in recent memory plowed unmercifully through the region from Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning.

As of today at 8 a.m. Acton could be experiencing the highest degree of misery, with 2,528 of 2,539 households still without power. In Lebanon, 2,912 of 3,401 customers are still in the dark, while Berwick still has 2,351 households waiting to get their lights back on.

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, the hardest hit remains Barrington with 896 households that are without power, followed by Farmington with 554, Rochester with 323, Dover with 179 and Somersworth with just 121.

One plow driver working for the Town of Lebanon during the thee-day storm said it was the most destructive storm he's seen in more than two decades.

"I've never seen the tree damage like I saw this time," he said.

As of 7:30 p.m., on Friday more than 140,000 Eversource customers remained without power across New Hampshire as utility crews worked to restore service.

The Department of Safety's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) urges residents and visitors to practice power outage safety and use caution when driving.

"If your area is still without power, make sure to check in on neighbors, especially the elderly and those who may be vulnerable," said HSEM Director Robert Buxton. "If you come across downed wires, stay away and call 911."

Report power outages to your utility provider every 24 hours until it is restored:

Eversource 1-800-662-7764

Liberty Utilities 1-855-349-9455

NH Electric Co-Op 1-800-343-6432

Unitil 1-888-301-7700

The State Emergency Operations Center will remain activated throughout the night in response to the storm.

Director Buxton makes the following safety recommendations:

• Stay informed by signing up for NH Alerts and monitoring National Weather Service radio or broadcast weather reports.

• Use flashlights, rather than candles, for emergency lighting.

• Do not use a gas range or oven as an alternate source of heat.

• Never run a generator inside a building or in an enclosed space and keep them 20 feet away from buildings with the exhaust pointed away.

• Only use a generator that has been wired to the house electrical service by a professional electrician.

• Plan two ways out of your home in case of emergency.

• Clear the driveway and front walk from ice and snow. This will provide easy access to your home.

• Stay warm inside by closing off cooler rooms in your house and covering floors, doors, and windows with heavy blankets.

• Turn portable heaters off when you leave the room. Also turn them off when you go to bed.

• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed when you lose power. An unopened refrigerator will keep cold for 4 hours and a full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours. For food safety tips visit USDA.gov.

• Find the latest road conditions at newengland511.org.

• Drivers should use extra caution, go slow and be alert for crews clearing debris.

• Never move or drive around barriers. It can put you, other people and first responders in danger.

Learn more about power outage safety at ReadyNH.gov.