Weary electric crews trudge on
Hydro One breaths second wind into restoration effort
More than three days after the first customer lost power in Friday's ice storm, weary crews continue this morning to trudge through heavily forested areas, cutting away trees, replacing broken poles and putting up power lines, oftentimes feeling like they are rebuilding CV's system, rather than making repairs.
Eleven crews from Hydro One in Ontario, Canada today joined a historical restoration effort that has included collaboration with state and local government officials, and dozens of crews from other Vermont utilities and outside contractors. Crews have restored service to 32,200 of the 35,000 CVPS customers who lost power.
"We are indebted to all the Vermont utilities, contract tree companies, and the crews from Pennsylvania, Michigan and Canada that have come to our aid throughout this storm," said Joe Kraus, CVPSs vice president for engineering, operations and customer service. "State and local government officials have been instrumental in working with us to clear roads, set up shelters for affected customers and get crews from Canada into the state."
Most customers in Windsor County will be back on by late this evening, but single customer outages and areas with extreme damage - especially the Wilmington, Readsboro, Wardsboro, Dover, Guilford area - will carry later into the week. Ice unloading and wind caused some additional outages Monday. Recovery in Windsor County was also hampered late Monday afternoon by a car-motorcycle accident that broke a pole in Londonderry.
"This is a very long, but extremely aggressive restoration effort," said Director of Engineering and System Operations Greg White, a 23-year veteran. "Everyone is pretty tired at this point, but each and every one of us, from the support staff to the dispatchers to the customer care staff to line and tree workers, will keep working until the last customer is restored."
More than 75 contract line crews and 50 tree crews from around Vermont, Michigan and Ontario, Canada are assisting CVPS. As other CVPS districts were cleaned up around the state, more crews converged on Windsor and Windham counties. More than 70 outside businesses, food establishments and municipal groups have also assisted CVPS.
President Bob Young thanked every CVPS customers who has extended a hand in thanks, spoken a kind word to crews, or offered other support.
"Orange, Windsor and Windham counties took an awful thrashing from this storm, but the people of these areas have demonstrated a resiliency unlike anything I've ever seen," Young said. "We appreciate folks continued patience as we do our best to return things to a sense of normalcy."
Check with an electrician
CVPS reminded customers that while service lines or overhead wires that run from a pole to a house or business are the utilitys responsibility, the service cable that runs along the side of the house is the customer's responsibility.
If those service cables are damaged, customers should contact an electrician. The service bracket that attaches the service line to the house is generally maintained by CVPS. However, the weather head, attached to the service cable, which prevents water damage to the wiring, is maintained by the customer's electrician.
SAFETY FIRST
CVPS urges customers to take all necessary precautions to ensure their safety in the wake of the storm. The company offered the following tips for safely coping with the outages:
Treat any downed line as if it is live. Report the line to your local utility and fire department, stay at least 30 feet away from the line, and keep children and pets away as well.
If you waiting out the storm at your home without power, stay in contact with your neighbors. If you live alone, are HOMEBOUND, have LIFE-SUPPORT equipment, or live in a secluded area, stay in contact with a friend, relative or close neighbor.
If using a generator, read and follow the owner's manual before starting the generator. Never operate a generator inside any structure or near a structure. Use a transfer switch to ensure electricity is not accidentally fed onto a line where line crews must work.
Keep freezers and refrigerators closed as much as possible to prevent food spoilage.
Turn off all electrical appliances except one light so youll know when service returns. Then, turn equipment back on slowly.