PRESS RELEASE from Green Mountain Power

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20131223/THISJUSTIN/131229992

Green Mounatin Power issued the following press release this morning -

COLCHESTER – The continued cold weather has kept ice on trees, causing new outages to occur even while Green Mountain Power makes progress restoring power throughout its service territory, the company said this morning.

“GMP crews and the hundreds of out-of-state crews brought in for this event are very busy keeping up with outages that continue more than a day after the storm started,” said Dorothy Schnure, GMP’s corporate spokesperson. “Weather forecasts had suggested that the weather would warm up and we would see ice released from the trees, which would decrease the number of new outages. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened, so outages continue to climb as tree limbs laden with ice fall onto power lines.”

As of 9 a.m. today, 32,000 customers have been affected by the storm. Green Mountain Power has restored power to 29,000 customers since the storm began Saturday evening, however, with new outages occurring, those numbers may change frequently. Of the 3,000 currently out, at least half are outages that occurred this morning.

“Crews worked through the night where they could safely restore power, and now we have fresh crews working in all areas. Other crews are staged at locations where we expect additional outages to occur so that they can respond quickly,” said Schnure.

Green Mountain Power says that with the ice on lines, some customers may experience multiple outages during the restoration period. Customers should report any new outages to GMP.

Customers may report outages by calling 1-888-835-4672, visiting GMP’s Outage Center page at www.greenmountainpower.com or mobile enhanced at m.greenmountainpower.com, or by clicking the “Power Out?” button on GMP’s Facebook site.

GMP offered the following safety advice to prepare for possible extended outages:

· Before outages occur, be sure you have a phone that is hard-wired and does not rely on electricity.

· Be sure to charge up your cell phone in advance of the storm.

· If you have a well, fill a bathtub with water before you lose service so the water can be used to flush toilets when the power is out. PREVENT UNSUPERVISED BATHROOM ACCESS TO CHILDREN.

· Treat any downed line as if it is live. Report the line to your electric utility and fire department, stay at least 50 feet away from the line, and keep children and pets away.

· If power goes out, turn off all electrical appliances except one light so you’ll know when service returns. Then, turn equipment back on slowly.

· If using a generator, read and follow the owner’s manual before starting it. Never operate a generator inside any structure or near a structure. Use a transfer switch to ensure electricity is not accidentally fed onto a line where line crews must work.

· Keep freezers and refrigerators closed as much as possible to prevent food spoilage.

· Never use grills inside garages, sheds or other buildings, as the fumes can be poisonous.

· For other tips on planning for a winter storm, visit the Vermont Emergency Management at http://vem.vermont.gov/preparedness/hazards/winter