Cheryl Sessions News Today

Residents of the upper floors of the Portland building have been without full power since a thunderstorm on Aug. 26.

A power outage in August that left several floors of Franklin Towers without full power for weeks put a spotlight on the building and the tenants who live there. May of them have concerns about maintenance and conditions in the the 50-year-old building operated by the Portland Housing Authority. Staff photos by Brianna Soukup

The work required is more extensive than first thought and electricity to upper-story apartments won't be fully restored until at least the middle of next week.

The Portland Housing Authority said it expects permanent repairs, restoring full electricity to floors 7-16, to be completed in a week.

More than 130 tenants at Franklin Towers have been without power since severe thunderstorms on Friday.

Power has been out to floors 7-16 since Friday, but some electricity is now being restored to upper floors of the apartment building that houses older and disabled tenants.

Residents on the 7th through 16th floors lost power during a thunderstorm Friday and difficulty in getting a replacement part means tenants are limited to refrigerators being run on extension cords plugged into hall outlets.

More than 300 immigrants who arrived in Portland recently are waiting for permanent housing in a tight rental market.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The number of asylum seekers is growing, with hundreds staying in hotels while awaiting permanent housing in Greater Portland. Many of the families made their way from the southern border from places like Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, along with earthquake-ravaged Haiti, the Portland Press Herald reports .

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The number of asylum seekers is growing, with hundreds staying in hotels while awaiting permanent housing in Greater Portland. Many of the families made their way from the southern border from places like Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, along with earthquake-ravaged Haiti, the Portland Press Herald reports .