REC crews and contractors are responding to storm-related outages after powerful winds and torrential downpours roared through the region Wednesday afternoon and evening.
Mutual-aid crews have been requested.
As of 8 p.m., more than 11,000 member-owners remained without power as a result of about 180 separate outage events. Crews continue to discover broken poles and downed wires — in addition to numerous downed large trees. Crews in the Eastern portion of the REC service territory have described “tornado-like damage,” and in the Route 211 area near Warrenton the storm broke seven poles in a row.
Continuing severe weather through the evening complicates restoration efforts, as crews work as quickly — and safely — as they can to restore all outages.
“The safety of our employees and member-owners is always REC’s top priority,” said Casey Hollins, Managing Director - Communications and Public Relations.
REC urges our member-owners to stay safe as well.
- If you see a downed power line, always assume it is energized and dangerous. Stay at least 10 feet away from the line and anything that might be in contact with it.
- Call 911 and contact REC at 800-552-3904 to report downed power lines.
- If your backup power plan includes using a generator, it is critical to follow all safety recommendations.
- Finally, if you haven’t already, unplug appliances that may have been on when a power outage began. Those appliances will come back on in the same mode as they were when power was lost.
REC reminds members to always report your power outage — even if you believe a neighbor has already reported it. You can use your smartphone to report the outage in MyREC SmartHub or at myrec.coop/out. If you receive a text alert that your power has been restored but you are still in the dark, please report your outage again.
