AUGUSTA -- Gov. John Baldacci today signed an emergency declaration allowing power crews from other states to help restore electricity in the event the current winter storm leads to outages, according to his press office.

The declaration was signed at 2 p.m. today to ensure that should the predicted icy mix of precipitation lead to power outages, crews would be able to stay on the road to restore power. The order also gives power companies more flexibility in pre-positioning repair crews.

Baldacci has participated in calls regarding the winter storm that is hitting the State today. He remains in close contact with officials at the Maine Emergency Management Agency.