GMP is Urging Safety and Alerting Customers About Potential for Hazardous Road Conditions and Outages
COLCHESTER, Vt. – Green Mountain Power (GMP) is tracking multiple forecasts as teams plan to respond as quickly and safely as possible to outages from a large winter storm forecasted for the Northeast region Sunday night through Monday into Tuesday. Meteorologists say freezing rain, wind and wet snow are all possible throughout Vermont, with the southern part of the state – Rutland, Bennington, Windsor and Windham counties – expected to see the most ice accumulation and possible damage from this storm.
This forecast, still more than 24 hours out, has been challenging for meteorologists as the storm packs a lot of precipitation and small shift in temperature and elevation can have a big impact on how much ice accumulates. “It’s a tough forecast, I’m worried about this, and this is a storm that is going to linger in place once it gets here,” said meteorologist Roger Hill, who forecasts for utilities in Vermont. Hill provided the latest forecast models and potential impact on a statewide call with all utilities and emergency management officials Saturday morning. Ice and wet snow are heavy and can tear down trees, which take down power lines with them, causing outages.
Icy roads and treacherous travel are expected and GMP is urging safety, as car/pole accidents can cause outages during storms. GMP is working to make sure staff is in place to respond to potential outages as quickly and safely as possible for customers. GMP is also urging safety and for customers to be prepared for the possibility of extended duration outages if the storm damage becomes widespread. Stay alert, stay away from all downed lines or trees, and be aware of hazardous road conditions. Customers can call 888-835-4672 to report outages and should call 911 for a medical emergency.
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Report outages and track restoration times in GMP’s online Outage Center
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 earned a spot on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in the World list three years in a row (2017, 2018, 2019). 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 business as a force for good. J.D. Power’s 2018 and 2019 rankings put GMP among top utilities for customer satisfaction. In 2019, GMP was named “One of the Best Places To Work in Vermont” by Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and was the winner of the Deane C. Davis Outstanding Vermont Business of the Year Award.
Kristin Kelly, Green Mountain Power
(802) 318-0872
kristin.kelly@greenmountainpower.com