Published 12.6.2010
Final Update 3:15 p.m. 
Johnson, VT- At the peak of a ferocious wind storm that barreled through Vermont Electric Cooperative’s (VEC) service territory, over 12,500 VEC members lost power in a weather event that is considered one of the worst the Co-op has experienced. After five days of restoration efforts crews restored power to the last VEC member late Sunday evening.

"By far this is the worst storm that we’ve ever seen,” said Dave Hallquist, Chief Executive Officer. “At the height of storm there were verified reports of wind gusts of up to 94 mph in some parts of VEC’s service territory which resulted in power outages to more than one-third of our member-owners.” 

Restoration outlooks began to look dismal by late Friday afternoon as damage assessments for some of the hardest hit areas came in. Numerous downed trees and power lines and over 80 broken poles in VEC’s system hindered restoration efforts. The further crews progressed the more apparent it was that they were not just repairing damage - they were actually rebuilding parts of the Co-op’s system. By temporarily adding approximately 300 trained line worker and tree removal personnel, VEC’s restoration was successfully completed within five days. 

“It is currently estimated that storm restoration costs will reach $2 million,” added Hallquist. “There is no doubt in my mind that this storm will go down as one of the most extensive and costly power outages in VEC’s history.” 

VEC crews with assistance from Burlington Electric Department, Central Vermont Public Service, Green Mountain Power, New Hampshire Electric Coop, Stowe Electric, the Village of Johnson, Bemis Construction, Charles Curtis LLC, Energized Line and numerous tree crews, worked around the clock for five days restoring power to Co-op members. Some members had been in the dark since the onset of the storm early Wednesday morning, December 1st. In addition, support staff worked continuously to provide 24 hour communication support to members including regular website and Facebook updates. 

“Even though power is fully restored to all VEC members, clean-up work for VEC crews is far from done,” said Jeffrey Wright, Chief Operating Officer. “This week crews will continue to replace broken poles that were temporarily repaired, re-assess damage to right-of-ways, respond to partial power issues and repair low hanging services to members’ homes. All of us at VEC appreciate the demonstrated patience of our members during this difficult restoration process,” added Wright.

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