Over 6,000 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) members are without power as of 5:30 p.m. after an early season winter storm. Ice accumulated on trees, causing many to fall onto power lines in the western region of the Cooperative’s service territory.
REC has redirected crews from its eastern and northwestern territories to help restore service in the counties of Culpeper, Madison, Greene, Orange, Fauquier, Albemarle and Rappahannock. REC also has called in right-of-way crews and construction contractors, and has requested mutual aid assistance from other electric cooperatives.
“Crews will work through the night to restore service to as many members as possible,” said John Arp, manager of REC’s western region. “But members should prepare for outages to continue into tomorrow. The rain and ice continues to fall in many areas, and some roads remain treacherous. Crews are also encountering saturated ground, making it difficult to reach some damage sites.”
Safety is always a top priority for our employees and members. Downed power lines and trees touching the lines are extremely dangerous. Please watch for downed lines and be aware that hazardous conditions may exist after the storm passes.
If you see a downed line, report it by contacting REC or 911 and be sure to keep others away from the line. To report an outage, log in to MyREC SmartHub or visit myrec.coop/out. For those who prefer to phone in to report an outage, call toll-free: 1-800-552-3904. Monitor power outages and important information in the Outage Center in MyREC SmartHub or at www.myrec.coop/outagecenter.
REC provides electric service to over 167,000 connections in parts of 22 Virginia counties. With its general office in Fredericksburg, Va., the Cooperative operates and maintains more than 17,000 miles of power lines through its service area, which ranges from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay. For more information about REC, please visit www.myrec.coop. Follow REC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
