The largest fleet of utility trucks, workers and resources in Central Vermont Public Service history is making steady, solid progress on storm restoration today, thanks to improving access and the sheer numbers of workers. But CVPS cautioned that complete restoration remains dependent on road access, and could take weeks.
As of 5 pm, more than 57,000 customer outages have been restored, with 15,900 remaining.
‘We have an unprecedented mass of workers, with more than 140 line trucks in the field, and nearly 600 contractors assisting,’ said Scott Massie, manager of Central Scheduling at CVPS. ‘That’s about three dozen more line trucks and 100 more people than the previous records set during the Nor’icane in 2007.
‘We are attacking our problems methodically but quickly, and we’re making short work of the problems that we can access,’ Massie said. ‘Where communities or neighborhoods are isolated, we’re working with the state and individual towns to try to get access, but it’s difficult work and will take time.’
Spokesman Steve Costello, a 15-year employee, said he was amazed by the progress made in the last 24 hours, as line crews, digger crews and support staff pieced together the electrical system, often in spots where roads are gone.
‘Crews have restored far more service than I would have thought possible at this stage of the recovery,’ Costello said. ‘They are committed to doing everything possible to bring back power, but we have a lot of work to do before any semblance of normalcy will return to the worst-affected areas. Access is by far our biggest challenge.’
Joe Kraus, senior vice president for engineering, operations and customer service, said workers were taking extraordinary steps and collaborating with state and local officials to gain access to isolated communities and clusters of customers.
‘In many cases we are simply building new lines because access issues and the loss of basic infrastructure means we can’t rebuild our lines where they once were,’ Kraus said. ‘In other cases, we’ve cut our way into isolated regions, built a temporary emergency bypass of Route 4 in Mendon, which will help us get to numerous towns along the Green Mountains, and we continue to look for new access routes in collaboration with local and state officials.’
In addition to the Route 4 bypass, CVPS gained access Tuesday to a temporary passage on Route 103, another key east-west route, which the state opened. The company is also communicating with officials in Rochester and Bethel, which are working from opposite ends of Bethel Mountain Road in an attempt to open up a one-lane access to Rochester, which is currently isolated. ‘Those are just a few examples of the collaboration that is going on between towns, the state and the company,’ Costello said. ‘There has been extraordinary effort.’
Kraus reminded customers to stay away from any downed power lines, and cautioned that despite the legion of workers, the restoration process could be lengthy. ‘Folks are working 18- and 20-hour shifts, but this is unlike anything we’ve ever seen, or want to see again,’ Kraus said.
While the worst flooding is over, CVPS urged Vermonters to use extra caution around waterways, many of which are still flowing at very high levels. ‘A lot of the smaller rivers, creeks and brooks may have dropped back considerably, but the water is still moving much faster than normal,’ said Mike Scarzello, CVPS’s generation asset manager.
Costello reminded customers that if their home or business was flooded, they need to take special precautions. ‘If your electric service panel was affected by water, it has to be examined by a qualified electrician before we can restore service,’ Costello said.
CVPS engineers and transmission supervisors performed helicopter flyovers Monday to assess the damage from the air. See photos below.
CVPS support staff continued to work with state emergency management officials and the Vermont Agency of Transportation to develop travel and road work strategies to access customers.
An emergency bypass where Route 4 was washed out in Mendon will be completed today. Construction contractors worked through the night on the road. In cooperation with the Agency of Transportation, CVPS hired Belden Construction to build the emergency bypass, which will be available only to utility and emergency vehicles and will be monitored by law enforcement. A more permanent repair will require substantial planning and construction by the state.
Devastation is extensive across the CVPS system. A handful of examples among the dozens of major issues include:
The near destruction of the Rochester Substation. Royalton Operations Supervisor Ben Bemis had to ride an off-road motorcycle to the site, which was inaccessible to trucks. ‘The fence is gone, the transformer has been undermined, and debris is scattered all over the place,’ Bemis said. ‘It’s looking pretty sad.’
Numerous sections of Route 107 in Bethel virtually disappeared. The White River flooding took out numerous poles and hundreds of feet of line.
The loss of a key bridge on Route 73 between Goshen and Rochester. One end of the bridge supports washed out, dropping the span into the water below. ‘The Route 73 bridge looks like a boat ramp going down into the river,’ Bemis said.
The loss of not only dozens of utility poles, but the scouring of all of the soil that held the poles up. Springfield Operations Supervisor Ed Whittemore said in many cases, even if the road existed, there is no soil left to install new poles.
Projects that will entail the complete reconstruction of entire sections of the utility system. In Jamaica, for example, crews were able to feed the center of the village through a backfeed, but the lines heading in both directions from the village center were washed away. In Wardsboro, Brattleboro Operations Supervisor Dave Miller said they found one washout that included five utility poles, but workers couldn’t go any further because the road was gone. ‘God only knows what washouts there are beyond that one,’ Miller said.
Up-to-date outage numbers (by town) can be found at: http://www.cvps.com/CustomerService/outages/ and http://vtoutages.com/
CVPS offered several safety tips for coping with the outages:
STAY AWAY FROM DOWNED POWER LINES. Don't touch or even go near downed wires! These wires can be energized and can cause serious injuries or death. If the line is blocking the road or in contact with a vehicle with people inside, call your local police or fire emergency number first. Then call CVPS. Instruct others to keep at least 50 feet away, and keep pets and livestock away as well.
Assume all objects touching the power line are also energized. Never attempt to remove trees or limbs from any utility lines! Notify CVPS of the situation.
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.
If power goes out, turn off all electrical appliances except one light so you'll know when service returns. Then, turn equipment back on slowly.
Up-to-date outage numbers (by town) can be found at: http://www.cvps.com/CustomerService/outages/ and http://vtoutages.com/
PHOTOS: Top, a destroyed house in Pittsfiled; middle and bottom, two shots of Route 4 east of Rutland.