Vermont Business Magazine After almost a week helping restore power to thousands of people in Georgia, Green Mountain Power crews are returning to Vermont. The team of more than 30 lineworkers, supervisors, and mechanics left Tuesday, Sept. 12, and are set to arrive in Vermont tomorrow morning. They helped set new poles, make repairs to downed lines and replace broken poles. The storm left an incredible amount of damage, and at this point nearly all residents in Habersham County have power back on, where the team was working.
“When we arrived, there was a lot of damage, massive trees down and destruction. Georgia Power assigned us as a group to one area, and it was up to us to work as a team on our own to restore power. This is what we do, what we are trained to do, and we are passionate about helping, whether it is in Vermont, or other parts of the country impacted by severe storms,” said Tom Bushey, a lineworker from the Rutland District office. “We made a lot of progress quickly, and after a week away from families, are happy to be returning home.”
GMP received many nice notes from Georgia residents like the one below from William McEntire from Lulu, GA.:
“On behalf of my neighbors and myself, I just wanted to Thank the Line Crews from Green Mountain Power for coming to our assistance after Irma wreaked havoc in our area in Northeast Georgia. I personally spoke with several different members of the crews and found them all to be quite professional and very personable. Their actions speak well for your company and its values. It sure was a sight for sore eyes when the army of Green Mountain Power line trucks came rolling into our community. There was a great deal of damage including lines down in an easement that's hard to access. They went to work and had all of the damage repaired in a little more than 6 hours. IMPRESSIVE!! Thanks to each and every one of you!”
The mutual aid relationship between utilities is strong, and in times of crisis extends throughout the country.GMP is keeping a close eye on Hurricane Jose, and at this point barring any changes to Jose’s track, it is not forecasted to cause damage in Vermont.
Source: GMP 9.18.2017