FRIDAY: Storm cleanup continues, new one coming
Hundreds of Lineworkers Restoring Power Around the Clock in Massive Restoration Effort That Could Go Into Weekend. Photos courtesy GMP.
Vermont Business Magazine Hundreds of lineworkers are working around the clock, and so far, have restored power to more than 75,000 customers after a heavy wet snow storm slammed Vermont starting Monday night. In all, more than 97,000 customers have lost power during this storm and in some areas, the outage totals continue to come in with new damage. GMP estimates (as of about 5 pm Wednesday) most of the remaining customers will have power back onby Friday night, but some outages in the hardest hit areas of Vermont may last into Saturday, or in some cases Sunday. Central and Southern Vermont along the Eastern side of the Green Mountains have the most widespread damage.
Current overnight shelters are listed below.
As of 7:30 Wednesday morning, Vermont Electric Cooperative had about 3,556 members (out of 32,000) without power. Burlington Electric Department has over 19,600 customers. BED had about 100 customers without power due to a broken pole but all power has now been restored (as of Tuesday evening).
“The damage is widespread, the conditions are still hazardous, we are still getting new outages,” said Mary Powell, GMP’s president and CEO. “We want our customers to know we are working hard, but given the severe damage over hundreds of miles, getting the job done could take days. Crews spent a lot of time yesterday working with emergency responders just to clear trees and get roads open safely. Crews are making a lot of progress, but in some locations, they’ve restored power only to have more trees knock it out again.”
GMP had prepositioned crews, and brought in crews from out of state before the storm and has hundreds of lineworkers in the field. GMP is focusing crews in those hard hit areas of Central and Southern Vermont where they heavy wet snow encased trees and powerlines. Cooler temperatures overnight held that weight in place, and new snow is adding up.
“We’re getting to the largest, quickest outages to repair first,” said Mike Burke, Chief of GMP Field Operations. “By focusing our resources this way, we’re able to restore power to more customers quickly and safely, but that means some smaller, harder to reach locations will have a longer wait. We also need to repair those lines first, to be able to repair the ones in more remote locations.”
GMP estimates most of the remaining 27,000 customers will have power back on by Friday night if conditions do not deteriorate with new snow today, but some outages may last into Saturday night or Sunday.
Individual towns, Vermont Emergency Management, and the American Red Cross are assessing the need for shelters in areas impacted by extended power outages.GMP is providing those entities with projected restoration times to aid in that assessment.
State emergency officials say individuals who need a place to warm up or charge a cell phone, should contact their town to see if there is a warming or overnight shelter in town.Should there be no local shelter, individuals can call 2-1-1 to find a shelter, or to report their current need.That information is shared with VEM to help determine the areas of greatest need.
GMP is also opening its district offices in Royalton, Brattleboro, Sunderland and Springfield to customers who need food, a place to charge their phone, or a warm spot.
GMP is urging safety.
- If you don’t have power and can’t be safe in your home, you can reach out to 211 for shelters in your area.
- Stay away from downed lines and downed trees, they can be hidden by snow.
- Watch out for power and emergency crews who will be working with large vehicles in narrow, snow-loaded roadways.
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 at greenmountainpower.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.Customers may also report outages by calling1-888-835-4672, or visiting GMP’s Outage Center page atwww.greenmountainpower.com.
Depending upon the extent of yet-to-be assessed damage, and continuing outages and snow conditions, VEC estimates restorations in its northern Vermont will continue forseveral more days.
Winter Storm Bruce, which dumped several inches of snow across Vermont in recent days and has affected utilities across the state and tens of thousands of Vermonters have been without power over the last 24 hours.
“This has been a very challenging storm,” said Rebecca Towne, VEC’s chief executive officer. “Heavy, wet snow fell yesterday and continues to fall today – with as much as 6” more expected, and over time this snow has accumulated on trees and lines causing continuing outages in all parts of VEC territory,” she said.
Towne noted that adding to the challenge soon could be snow “offloading.” As temperatures rise, snow melts off the lines, causing them to spring back upward, making contact with trees and again causing additional outages.
Since Tuesdaymorning, VEC crews have restored power to over 6,500 members, but new outages continue to come in.
VEC crews worked all yesterday and throughout last night on assessment and restoration and are getting help from utility crews from Swanton as well as tree contractors. VEC is also working with out-of-state electric co-op crews for help with restoration.
VEC urges members who are without power to stay safe and keep the following in mind:
- Regularly check the VEC outage page atwww.vermontelectric.coopfor estimated restoration times. “TBD” means that the outage may not have been assessed yet and that you should prepare for a multi-day outage.
- Vermont Emergency Management (https://vem.vermont.gov/) is continually assessing the need for shelters. If you have a need for shelter, call toll-free 1-866-652-4636.
- If you encounter a downed power line stay clear of the line and promptly call VEC at 800-832-2667.
- If you run a generator, do so safely including always operating it outdoors. Never run a generator in a barn, shed or garage.
State Emergency Operations Center Update
WATERBURY - The Vermont State Emergency Operations Center has activated to assist communities and individuals during extended power outages and cold. Representatives from state agencies, the National Guard, American Red Cross, utilities, and support agencies are working to coordinate resources for communities.
Individual towns, Vermont Emergency Management, and the Red Cross are assessing the need for shelters in areas impacted by extended power outages. Utilities are providing those entities with projected restoration times to aid in that assessment.
The Vermont State Emergency Operations Center continues to assist communities and individuals as some outages may continue into the weekend. Representatives from state agencies, the National Guard, the American Red Cross, electric utilities, and support agencies are working to coordinate resources.
The EOC will transition to Monitoring status starting at 4:30 p.m. and will resume full staffing at 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 29. Vermont Emergency Management maintains 24/7 Watch Officer coverage to meet the needs of local jurisdictions.
The confirmed overnight shelters are:
* Barre Municipal Auditorium: 16 Auditorium Hill, opening at 6 p.m. People may bring pets to this shelter. Local officials request that people enter through the double glass doors to the right of the main granite stairway and take the elevator to the basement. People are asked to park by the stairway rather than in the rear of the building.
* Hartford High School: 37 Highland Avenue, opening at 6 p.m. People may bring pets to this shelter.
* Rochester Elementary School: 222 Main Street, opened at 3 p.m.
A complete list of standby shelters along with warming centers, which are open during the daytime, is available at the Vermont Emergency Management website, https://vem.vermont.gov.
Should there be no local shelter, individuals can call 2-1-1 to find a facility, or to report their current need. That information is shared with VEM to help determine the areas of greatest need for warming or overnight accommodations. To find an open shelter you can also visit the Vermont Emergency Management website at www
Other safety information:
* Check on neighbors, particularly those who are elderly or have functional needs.
* Carbon Monoxide (CO) can be deadly. Install at least one CO alarm with a battery backup near sleeping areas and on each level of your home. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are headaches, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach and vomiting. Go outside immediately to get fresh air, then dial 9-1-1 if your CO alarm goes off or you suspect CO poisoning.
* Ensure all heating vents are clear of snow - particularly those that are close to the ground - to avoid CO buildup in the home.
* Never use a generator indoors. Only use a generator outside away from windows and doors where gas can vent into the home.
* Take frequent breaks while shoveling snow.
* Slow down on the road; allow sufficient space between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you. Respect all detours and road closures.
For safety information visit http://www.healthvermont.gov/e
Vermont Emergency Management
www.vtalert.gov
About Green Mountain Power
Green Mountain Power (GMP) serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers in Vermont and is partnering with them to improve lives and transform communities. GMP is focused on a new way of doing business to meet the needs of customers with integrated energy services that help people use less energy and save money, while continuing to generate clean, cost-effective and reliable power in Vermont. GMP was the only utility named to Fast Company’s 2018 list of Most Innovative Companies for Energy and 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 business as a force for good. J.D. Power’s 2018 rankings also put GMP among top utilities for customer satisfaction.
Source: COLCHESTER, Vt. – GMP 11.28.2018 11:42 am