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Green Mountain Power line crews were busy in Rutland County last week following the snow storm.
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Heavy, moisture-rich snow contributed to down trees and wires causing some power outages in the Lincoln area.
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The Mt. Holly area of Rutland County experience the brunt of last week’s snow storm.
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A Green Mountain Power crew works on lines near Route 116 in Bristol.
MIDDLEBURY | November 2018 was one for the record books. The month looked less like autumn and more like a February winter. With frigid, single-digits on Thanksgiving, Vermonters also got a sky load of snow and wind last week.
Strong winds and heavy wet snow hit Vermont Nov. 26. According to Green Mountain Power (GMP) spokesperson Kristin Kelly, the utility company safely restored power to more than 16,400 customers who were left in the wake of storm damage.
“Crews reported treacherous travel and working conditions, slowing their restoration work overnight,” Kelly reported.
“In some cases, for safety, crews had to pull out of line work because of trees crashing down around them.” The storm moved north and slowed over Vermont.
The result was what Kelly described as a cement-like layer on trees and power lines.
“We were prepared to respond and we’ve made significant progress in difficult weather conditions,” said Mary Powell, GMP’s president and CEO.
A Vermont-based meteorologist blamed November’s weather on global warming.
“As the climate gets warmer the changes in temperatures aloft and at ground level of a few degrees warmer, contribute to storms more like the one we are currently seeing today,” according to Roger Hill.
“They cause infrastructure problems as the snow is heavy and water loaded. This has been modeled to occur more often in our future with a warming climate.”
“The damage is widespread, the conditions are still hazardous, we are still getting new outages,” said Powell.
“We want our customers to know we are working hard, but given the severe damage over hundreds of miles, getting the job done could take days...” Powell said the Royalton area of central Vermont was hardest hit.
“We’re getting to the largest, quickest outages to repair first,” said Mike Burke, chief of GMP field operations.
“We also need to repair those lines first, to be able to repair the ones in more remote locations. Stay away from downed lines and downed trees. Watch out for power and emergency crews.”
Customers may report outages by calling 1-888-835-4672 or by visiting GMP’s Outage Center page at greenmountainpower.com.
Department of Public Safety’s Mark Bosma told the Eagle that the Starksboro shelter, located at the Robinson Elementary School, will remain open as long as it is needed.
