Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power has lined up an army of crews to respond to outages expected from an extraordinary moisture laden spring storm already affecting parts of Vermont. The wet snow building up on tree branches is likely to cause outages across the state, especially in southern and central Vermont. “Preparing ahead for a storm like this means that we have hundreds of people in place to jump into action as soon as outages begin,” said Kristin Carlson, Green Mountain Power vice president of external affairs. “We’ve lined up outside crews to assist our team of GMP responders to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.”
Customers can also prepare ahead to ensure their comfort and safety. To prepare for a storm, Vermonters should be sure their mobile phone is fully charged and have the following on hand:
·A battery-powered flashlight
·A portable radio
·Extra batteries
·Bottled water
Green Mountain Power also reminds people that with difficult travel conditions, outages are often caused by cars hitting power poles. If you hit a pole and the line falls on your car, stay in the car and keep others away until GMP can make sure that the line is not carrying electricity, which could cause serious injury if you contact the car and the ground at the same time. If you must leave the car, jump clear with both feet and shuffle until you are far from the car.
“Safety of our crews, and safety of our customers is the top priority. This spring storm could cause extensive damage. Being prepared is key,” said Carlson.
Downed lines may be live and dangerous, even if on the ground or tangled in trees and Green Mountain Power urges people to stay away from any downed line and call GMP or emergency officials. For additional safety information and to prepare for the storm and outages customers can visit:http://www.greenmountainpower.com/learn/safety-guide/
Green Mountain Power will provide updates on Facebook, Twitter and to the media. Customers may report outages and get updates through GMP’s text service or app, as well as calling1-888-835-4672, or visiting GMP’s Outage Center page atwww.greenmountainpower.com.
To get the latest information on outages and restoration times, customers can sign up for text service alerts, by texting REG to 46788 or GMPVT, or signing up online atgreenmountainpower.com/textalerts.Customers can also sign up for GMP’s app to report outages with a touch of a finger at the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and search for GMP.
About Green Mountain Power:
Green Mountain Power (GMP) serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers in Vermont andis partnering with Vermonters to improve lives andtransform communities. GMP is focused on a new way of doing business to meet the needs of customers withintegrated energy services that help people use less energy and save money, while continuing to generate clean,cost-effective and reliable power in Vermont. GMP is the first utility in the world to get a B Corp certification,meeting rigorous social, environmental, accountability and transparency standards and committing to use businessas a force for good. In 2014, Vote Solar named GMP a Solar Champion. More informationat:www.greenmountainpower.com. Connect with GMP on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @GreenMtnPower.