REC crews, contractors and related teams restored power to more than 6,000 member-owners on Friday after relentless winds battered the state all day.
As of 8 p.m., about 650 member-owners remained without power. All outages in the Eastern counties should be restored by later tonight, while most remaining outages in Western localities will persist into Saturday.
Crews today and this evening have battled dangerously cold wind chills of below 0 degrees, as temperatures plummet toward the single digits. Winds continue to gust up to 35 mph.
Field teams have discovered 13 broken poles so far. Each can take up to several hours to repair. REC continues to utilize specialized equipment, including Bigfoot trucks, to reach remote damage sites. Many outages remain in mountainous regions.
Important Safety Reminders
- If someone in your home requires electricity for a serious medical condition, consider an alternate location with power that you can rely on during an outage.
- If you see a downed power line, always assume it is energized and dangerous. Stay 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.
