Local leaders were tuned into television reports Thursday afternoon waiting to learn if a massive power outage to the south and west would have an impact here.

In Lewiston, city officials contacted police, advising them to be aware of the situation unfolding in New York, Cleveland, Detroit and other major cities.

At the time, lights were on all across Maine. It did not appear anyone locally would suffer from the blackout in other parts of United States and Canada.

Still, police were staying on guard.

“We were getting prepared just in case it began to have an effect on us,” said Lewiston police Sgt. David St. Pierre. “There’s no indication it will reach up this far. If it does, we’ll take things to a different level.”

Police were prepared to place officers in key areas of the city to watch for looting and other criminal activity if power failed and the lights went off.

It never happened.

“The Central Maine Power Company system is stable,” said CMP spokeswoman Gail Rice about 7 p.m. “We’re monitoring it closely. Obviously we’re aware that there are some large power outages across the Northeast.”

Gov. John Baldacci was also keeping abreast of developments during the outage. He was advised that Maine was not likely to be affected.

The governor asked officials from the Office of Energy Independence and Security to contact officials in other New England states to keep him advised on the cause of the blackout.

“We need a full accounting of what caused the disruptions and what can be done to diminish the likelihood of future occurrences,’ Baldacci said.

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