(This story was updated Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m.)
[G]reen Mountain Power and Vermont Electric Co-op say it may be days before some customers regain power amid widespread outages after an 80 mph windstorm swept through the state Sunday night.
VEC reported that more than 10,000 customers in its service area are without power. More than 45,000 homes and businesses served by Green Mountain Power lost electricity.
By Monday evening, GMP said that number was down to about 32,600.
Many roads were also closed on Monday morning, due to downed trees and power lines. For the latest information about roads, go to the VTrans website.
Green Mountain Power is reporting broken power poles and downed lines. Officials warn that downed lines are extremely dangerous and should be reported to Vermont State Police by calling 911.
The intensity of the wind storm was caused in part by a strong low pressure system from Tropical Storm Phillipe off the East Coast. Nearly every region of the state was affected.
Gov. Phil Scott addressed the storm at a news conference Monday at the Vermont Department of Public Safety in Waterbury. He said no one was injured, as far as he knew, as a result of the storm.
He said the state would open shelters if necessary but had not heard of a need. He also said the state was “blessed” because power had not been knocked out at hospitals or nursing homes.
“As this goes further into the week and goes into multiple days, there could be more need,” Scott said. “We want to make sure that people swallow their pride and ask for help as they need it.”
Mary Powell, the CEO of Green Mountain Power, the largest utility in the state, called the storm “stunning” because it affected customers statewide. “Right now, all we can really say is it’s going to be a multiday event,” she said.
“Even if you look at New England, this really hit an entire region, so that makes it challenging because, obviously, if you have certain pockets you can put certain resources to the pockets, and this is really an area where we’re really kind of flat out across the state of Vermont,” she said.
Powell compared the storm’s damage to “very, very expensive” storms in 2012 and 2014. “We’re probably in the neighborhood of $20 million,” she said.
Late Monday afternoon, Vermont Electric Co-op said crews were still out assessing “what turned out to be very extensive damage.”
“Some VEC members may experience a multiple day outage event,” the company said on its website. It recommended people call 211 to be connected to the Red Cross if they need shelter.
Earlier in the day, Kristin Carlson, vice president of strategic and external affairs for GMP, said the company was bracing for more wind Monday afternoon. “Safety of our crews and the public is our top priority, and conditions are extremely dangerous,” she said.
The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning of gusts of up to 35 mph through 8 p.m.
For safety information, customers can visit: http://www.greenmountainpower.com/learn/safety-guide/
Customers may report outages and get updates through GMP’s text service or app, as well as by calling 1-888-835-4672, or visiting GMP’s Outage Center at www.greenmountainpower.com.
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 http://www.greenmountainpower.com/textalerts
