REC Crews Enter Second Day of Major Restoration Effort
July 1, 2012
Work continued through the night with significant progress being made, yet it will still be several days before service is restored to all REC members. Additional crews arrived from out of state and are being deployed this morning. With REC’s workforce now doubled, the focus remains on repairing the main circuits and ensuring service to critical facilities.
Those currently without power need to be aware that, for many, this will be an extended outage, and they should plan appropriately. Many local governments have opened cooling shelters. Listen to local media or check with local officials for shelter locations in your area. Shelter locations are also listed on REC’s website at www.myrec.coop and on REC’s Facebook page. By the end of today, REC will be able to project when the majority of repairs will be complete.
“We are very proud of the response by our employees, working long hours in record-breaking heat and difficult conditions” said Tim Martin, vice president of engineering and operations. “We appreciate the additional support of our contract crews and additional linemen from less-affected areas of Virginia as well as Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, and Maryland” added Martin.
Additional information on district work schedules for today are available on REC’s website at www.myrec.coop and on Facebook as well. These schedules will be updated each morning. Please remember to report any unsafe conditions, such as downed powerlines to the Cooperative immediately. REC reminds everyone that safety is the number one concern and therefore, please make sure major appliances such as stoves and ovens are cut off to prevent damage as power is restored. If you are not sure what is on, switch off all but one of your home’s circuit breakers. Leave one branch circuit on with a radio or lamp plugged in so you will know when power is restored.
To report a power outage, please call 1-800-552-3904 or visit the Outage Center and report your outage online. If the cause of the damage is evident, and you are reporting your outage by phone, please provide information concerning cause and location to the customer service representative. Callers with no additional information are encouraged to choose the automated reporting option. Members who rely on a smart phone can also access outage information and report an outage through the Cooperative’s website.
REC provides electric service to over 155,000 connections in parts of 22 Virginia counties. With its general office in Fredericksburg, Va., Rappahannock maintains more than 16,000 miles of power lines through its service area, which ranges from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay.