Crews Positioned Around the State, with Additional External Crews Here to Help
12 January 2018
COLCHESTER, Vt. – Weather forecasts for Friday evening through Sunday include freezing rain, sleet, snow and wind across the state that could cause outages. Green Mountain Power has activated its workforce and brought in additional crews from around New England and Canada to ensure a strong response to whatever the storm brings.
“This forecast has been difficult for forecasters, but we are prepared for the storm,” said Dorothy Schnure, spokesperson for Green Mountain Power. “We are positioning our crews, along with crews we have brought in from around New England and Canada, in all of areas of the state so that we can respond as quickly as possible.”
Outages are possible for all areas of the state, as the storm is expected to bring significant snow to northwestern Vermont, while icing poses more of a challenge for the rest of the state, especially central Vermont. Winds will drop off Friday evening and pick back up late Friday night, with the snow and ice starting late Friday evening through Saturday afternoon, then severe cold on Sunday.
If conditions develop as forecasted, outages could occur as the weight of ice or snow building up on trees breaks branches and damages power lines. In addition, slippery roads often create conditions where cars and trucks hit poles, causing outages.
“Safety of the public and our crews is paramount during a storm like this,” Schnure said. “Driving carefully and staying away from downed lines will help keep everyone safe.”
As the storm ends and temperatures drop to below zero, the public is also reminded to be aware of checking on older neighbors who may be at risk of hypothermia if they do not have heat. It is important to have a backup plan if power cannot be restored quickly.
“Planning in advance for power outages can help you stay safe,” said Schnure. “We will keep customers updated through Facebook, Twitter and media announcements.”
For storm safety tips go to: http://www.greenmountainpower.com/community/safety/be-safe-in-a-storm/
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 greenmountainpower.com/textalerts. Customers can also sign up for GMP’s app to report outages with a touch of a finger at the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and search for GMP. Customers may also report outages by calling 1-888-835-4672, or visiting GMP’s Outage Center page at www.greenmountainpower.com
About Green Mountain Power
About Green Mountain Power Green Mountain Power (GMP) serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers in Vermont and is partnering with customers 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. In 2014, Vote Solar named GMP a Solar Champion. More information at: www.greenmountainpower.com. Connect with GMP on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @GreenMtnPower.
Dorothy Schnure, Green Mountain Power
802-324-4418
[email protected]