GMP Makes Tremendous Progress Restoring Power to 33,600 Customers as New Outages Come in Following Hard Hitting Region Wide Nor’easter
GMP crews and more than 250 additional external field workers are confronting Difficult Working Conditions Due to Heavy Wet Snow as They Restore Power
Colchester, Vt. – As new outages continue to come in due to the region wide Nor’easter, crews have restored power to more than 33,600 customers with another 51,000 more to go. As forecasted, the heavy, wet snow weighed down trees and lines and new outages are still happening with dangerous conditions in the field as trees continue to fail under the weight of the snow. Forecasters say temperatures will not warm up enough in the next few days to help the snow melt, so even more outages are possible.
“Crews have faced tough conditions as snow continues to fall, reducing visibility and creating driving hazards and hazardous working conditions. Clearing downed trees to get to outage locations has been slow and difficult,” said Mike Burke, GMP’s Vice President of Field Operations. “Safety is key, and we want customers to stay far away from any downed lines or trees, and to plan ahead, as some remote locations that are hardest hit may not get power back for a few days.”
GMP tracks multiple forecasts days in advance of weather events, so crews can be ready to respond as quickly as safely possible for customers. GMP had doubled its field workers with help from Canada, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York prior to the storm to amplify GMP’s own field forces.
Customers with medical issues should call 911 and calling the state assistance line at 211 can help with temporary housing and transportation.
The GMP app is a convenient way to report outages, track power restoration times, as well as manage your GMP account from your cellphone. For medical emergencies, always call 911. You can also report outages by calling GMP at 888-835-4672, and through GMP’s online Outage Center.
About Green Mountain Power
Green Mountain Power (GMP) serves approximately 270,000 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 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 earned a spot on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in the World list four years in a row (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). In 2021, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) honored GMP as a nationwide leader in energy transformation, and in 2019 GMP earned the Deane C. Davis Outstanding Vermont Business of the Year Award from the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Vermont Business Magazine.
Kristin Carlson, Green Mountain Power
(802) 229-8200
[email protected]