18 September 2017
Team Set to Return to Vermont Tuesday In Advance of Hurricane Jose
Colchester, Vt – After almost a week helping restore power to thousands of people in Georgia, Green Mountain Power crews are returning to Vermont. The team of more than 30 lineworkers, supervisors, and mechanics left Tuesday, Sept. 12, and are set to arrive in Vermont tomorrow morning. They helped set new poles, make repairs to downed lines and replace broken poles. The storm left an incredible amount of damage, and at this point nearly all residents in Habersham County have power back on, where the team was working.
“When we arrived, there was a lot of damage, massive trees down and destruction. Georgia Power assigned us as a group to one area, and it was up to us to work as a team on our own to restore power. This is what we do, what we are trained to do, and we are passionate about helping, whether it is in Vermont, or other parts of the country impacted by severe storms,” said Tom Bushey, a lineworker from the Rutland District office. “We made a lot of progress quickly, and after a week away from families, are happy to be returning home.”
GMP received many nice notes from Georgia residents like the one below from William McEntire from Lula, Ga.:
“On behalf of my neighbors and myself, I just wanted to thank the line crews from Green Mountain Power for coming to our assistance after Irma wreaked havoc in our area in Northeast Georgia. I personally spoke with several different members of the crews and found them all to be quite professional and very personable. Their actions speak well for your company and its values. It sure was a sight for sore eyes when the army of Green Mountain Power line trucks came rolling into our community. There was a great deal of damage including lines down in an easement that’s hard to access. They went to work and had all of the damage repaired in a little more than 6 hours. IMPRESSIVE!! Thanks to each and every one of you!”
The mutual aid relationship between utilities is strong, and in times of crisis extends throughout the country. GMP is keeping a close eye on Hurricane Jose, and at this point barring any changes to Jose’s track, it is not forecasted to cause damage in Vermont.
About Green Mountain Power:
Green Mountain Power (GMP) serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers in Vermont and is partnering with Vermonters 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.
Kristin Carlson
Green Mountain Power
802-229-8200
[email protected]