Windstorm knocks out power across area Emergency responders, GMP pull all-nighter; restoration work expected to continue into weekend

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2018 Telegraph Publishing, LLC

Winds with sustained speeds of up to 63 mph lashed Vermont overnight and into this morning, knocking down branches, trees and power lines and leaving thousands in the dark.

As of 9 a.m. Thursday, 17,730 Green Mountain Power customers in 93 Vermont towns had no power. Closer to home, 3,998 GMP customers in 12 local towns were in the dark.

By 11 a.m., said Dorothy Schnure of Green Mountain Power, power was restored to 35,000 but 14,000 remained without power and calls keep coming in reporting outages.  “During the night, we spent a lot of time taking care of emergency situations, including lines across roads,” she said. The worst damage was in Royalton, Springfield, Montpelier and Brattleboro.

Sustained winds reached 63 mph in Mendon and 112 mph on top of Mount Mansfield, she said.

Classes at Green Mountain Union High School and Chester-Andover Elementary were delayed by two hours this morning due to power outages.

Local first responders were busy all night as reports of damage came in. In most instances, police and fire were told that Green Mountain Power could not estimate how long it would take to get to any one outage. Chester Fire Chief Matt Wilson twice asked dispatchers to tell the power company that wires down on the roads were blocking the department’s access to areas in the event of a fire. Chester firefighters finally signed off at about 6 this morning.

At 9 a.m.,  the storm had affected 405 customers in Andover, 94 in Baltimore, 297 in Cavendish, 114 in Chester, 415 in Grafton, 174 in Landgrove, 1,168 in Londonderry, 17 in Ludlow, 188 in Peru, 73 in Springfield, 635 in Weston and 468 in Windham.

By 11 a.m., Schnure said, power was restored to 85 in Chester, to all but two in Andover, to 127 in Baltimore, where the total affected climbed since 9 a.m., to more than 100 in Cavendish; to more than 300 in Grafton, to 952 in Londonderry, where the total affected climbed to 2,813, and to almost 200 in Windham.

She added that, “Restoration will be well into the weekend.”

With high winds continuing today, GMP is still getting new outage calls and the company expects to have a better idea of power restoration times later today.

Green Mountain Power is reminding everyone to stay safe. Don’t touch any downed lines or downed trees.

“It’s so important that our customers and crews continue to stay safe out there as we manage the clean-up and restoration ahead,” said Kristin Carlson, GMP’s Vice President of Strategic and External Affairs.  “Crews are responding as quickly and safely as possible and we will continue to keep the public safe and well-informed. We will update you on Facebook, Twitter and local media.”