Central Vermont Public Service reported this monrinng that an army of CVPS line crews, assisted by 17 other Vermont crews and 23 crews from Connecticut, New Hampshire and New York, are in full force in Windsor and Bennington counties today. About 1,545 customer outages of the more than 12,000 affected after Monday’s snow and ice storm are left to restore.
Most customers should have their power back on by late tonight, but complete restoration could carry into Wednesday, especially in the hard-hit areas around Springfield.
‘We’re flooding Bennington and Windsor counties with crews today,’ said CVPS spokeswoman Christine Rivers. ‘There are still hundreds of tree limbs, lines and damaged equipment to repair in those areas, so the going will be slow today, but we expect to make great progress.’
CVPS crews and contractors battled the elements yesterday, cutting their way through ice-laden tree and tree limbs in southern Vermont, and whiteout road conditions, and in some cases impassable roads, in central and northern Vermont. Field crews reported a quarter to a half an inch of ice in southern Vermont, and close to an inch on Mt. Ascutney.
‘Ice damage is among the most troublesome a utility can experience, and since temperatures haven’t risen to allow the ice to melt yet, crews and contractors will continue to battle the remaining ice today,’ Rivers said. ‘Crews and support staff will continue to work as quickly as is safely possible until all of our customers have their power restored.’
CVPS has moved its own crews to the areas hardest hit, and are being assisted by crews from Ludlow Electric, Vermont Electric Co-op, Green Mountain Power, Bemis Line Construction and Northline Utilities. Crews from Connecticut and New Hampshire joined us last night.
Up-to-date outage numbers (by town) can be found at: http://www.cvps.com/CustomerService/outages/default.aspx 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 you 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.
Additional safety tips can be found at: http://www.cvps.com/Safety/StormSafety.aspx