§ More than 45,000 homes and businesses affecting more than 112,500 GMP customers in all corners of the state. When you include all Vermonters served by other utilities, it’s about 1/3 of Vermonters affected by the storm without power
§ Conditions are extremely dangerous and many poles are broken, making repairs slow
§ More wind expected this afternoon could cause additional outages
§ Crews warn the public to stay clear of downed trees and power lines and call 911 if you see a line down
Vermont Business Magazine Severe winds with gusts up to almost 80 MPH late Sunday and early Monday morning hit the east coast, including Vermont, very hard, causing broken poles and knocking down trees and branches onto lines all across the state. GMP has approximately 45,000 homes and businesses without power, impacting more than 112,500 people as of 7:00 amin 177 towns. VEC reported early this monring that over 13,000 of its customers had lost power. Various roads and schools were closed across the state. The storm is the result of a strong low pressure system which also pulled effects from Tropical Storm Phillipe off the east coast. An army of more than 350 lineworkers, tree workers, and field teams will be working to repair all the damage.
“Crews are ready and mobilized to make repairs as quickly and safely as possible this morning and we expect additional crews, which were on standby from Canada and elsewhere in the region to join the effort as well,” said Kristin Carlson, VP of Strategic & External Affairs. “We are asking the public for patience as we expect more wind later today and more outages as a result. Safety of our crews and the public is our top priority and conditions are extremely dangerous.”
Strong winds and rain began Sunday and are expected to continue through Monday. Nearly every region of the state has been impacted so crews will be deployed across the state to make repairs. With more weather expected, GMP estimates repairs in some areas could take days, possibly through the week to complete.
“We urge Vermonters to stay clear of downed trees, branches and power lines and report them by calling 911,” Carlson continued. “We’ll keep the public and media informed as this storm progresses through regular press releases and updates on social media.”
Also,as anticipated, strong winds in the early morning hours have caused significant outages throughout the VEC service territory. As of4:30 amover 10,000 Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) members have lost power, with just over 1,000 restored. VEC wants to remind members that repairs under these conditions may take longer than usual.For example, some roads may not passable due to downed trees, or winds may cause safety hazards for jobs that require the use of bucket trucks. VEC will do our very best to get the power back on as soon as is safely possible. People are urged to use caution and make sure to stay clear of any downed power lines.
The high winds overnight have affected many Vermont farms and farmers. Approximately 1 out of 3 Vermonters is without power due to the high winds. A second round of high winds ranging from 40 to 45 MPH is expected to affect Windsor and Windham Counties around11 AMand winding down around4 PM.
Damage to high tunnels and greenhouses have been reported. The Agency of Agriculture is urging farmers to document any losses from the recent storm. It’s helpful to take pictures and keep detailed records. This information could be valuable for farmers, state and federal officials as they calculate the economic impact of the storm.
Potential issues for Vermont Agriculture will likely be:
- Pet sheltering for evacuated owners
- Inability for farmers to milk animals if they do not have generators
- Inability for co-op trucks to get to farms to pick up milk
- Wind damage to greenhouses and hoop houses
If you have specific questions or want to report damage, please call the Agency at802-828-2430or email[email protected].
VEC will continue to post updates on our Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/VERMONTELECTRICCOOP/and Twitter pages @VTElectricCoop. Outages can be tracked on our VEC outage page:https://www.vermontelectric.coop/outage
For GMP safety information, customers can visit: http://www.greenmountainpower.com/learn/safety-guide/
Customers may report outages and get updates through GMP’s text service or app, as well as by calling1-888-835-4672, or visiting GMP’s Outage Center 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 at http://www.greenmountainpower.com/textalerts.Customers can also download the GMP app at the App Store or Google Play Store to quickly and easily report outages.
Source: GMP. VEC. 10.30.2017. Power line photo courtesy VEC.