GMP Crews Make Significant Progress in Tough Conditions, Damaging Regionwide Storm Continues to Cause New Outages
- Crews restore power to more than 46,000 customers and still going
- Hazardous conditions require crews to exercise extreme caution in some locations as trees fall around them
- In addition to GMP’s dedicated team, GMP tripled its field forces with additional external line workers and external tree experts in advance of storm.
COLCHESTER, Vt. – Green Mountain Power (GMP) is making tremendous progress restoring power to more than 46,000 customers since high winds hit Vermont Wednesday, followed by heavy wet snow that is forecasted to continue into Friday. The Nor’easter is causing severe damage and new outages, even as crews make repairs in extremely tough conditions.
The National Weather Service has extended the Winter Storm Watch into Friday due to the continuing storm conditions in Vermont. The Nor’easter is a large storm system affecting the entire northeast region, with damage leaving more then 630,000 customers without power regionwide.
“Conditions in the field are very hazardous right now. Trees continue to come crashing down under the heavy wet snow, and many roads are closed. Our first priority in an event like this is to address road closures and safety issues as trees continue to fall, and then as safety allows, to repair and restore,” said Mike Burke, vice president of Field Operations at GMP.
“Outages in some hard hit locations may extend into the weekend and customers should have a plan to be safe. We will update estimated restoration times as available and as conditions allow. This is a major, devastating storm and evolving situation in the field,” Burke said.
GMP is reminding customers to stay far away from any downed lines or trees. More storm preparation and safety tips are available on GMP’s website.
Using the GMP app is a convenient way to report outages, track restoration, and manage your GMP account. You can also report outages through the Outage Center on GMP’s website or call 888-835-4672. Call 911 for medical emergencies.
Extreme weather conditions and storms are growing increasingly common in Vermont and GMP has been working proactively by rapidly (1) undergrounding lines in many areas, (2) storm-hardening above ground lines with stronger cables, and (3) expanding energy storage, microgrids and resiliency zones.
About Green Mountain Power
Green Mountain Power serves more than 275,000 residential and business customers in Vermont with electricity that’s 100% carbon free and 80% renewable on an annual basis. GMP is partnering with customers to provide solutions that deliver resiliency and affordability while cutting carbon and costs for all. 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. GMP was named to Fast Company’s 2024 Most Innovative Companies in the World list, the sixth time earning that honor. In 2023 and 2021 the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) honored GMP as a nationwide leader in energy transformation. And, in 2022 GMP was named to TIME’s list of the 100 Most Influential Companies for its groundbreaking resiliency work to transform the grid for customers.
Conditions in the field are very hazardous right now. Trees continue to come crashing down under the heavy wet snow, and many roads are closed. Our first priority in an event like this is to address road closures and safety issues as trees continue to fall, and then as safety allows, to repair and restore.
Mike Burke, vice president of Field Operations at GMP
