National Weather Service Issues High Wind Warning and Flood Watch
COLCHESTER, Vt. – Green Mountain Power (GMP) is ready to respond as forecasters say a regionwide storm will bring gusty winds and heavy rain to Vermont and all of the northeast Thursday. Rain is predicted to be heavy – up to three inches especially in the parts of central and southern Vermont that got heavy snow last week. Snow melt could add to waterways, and the National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch for Addison, Bennington, Chittenden, Orange, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor counties. Forecasters expect gusty winds statewide with the strongest gusts to be in higher elevations and along the western slopes of the Green Mountains late Thursday into Friday – possibly strong enough to take down trees and power lines.
“Safety awareness is important in every storm and we want customers to be aware of the changing weather and water conditions in their area, and to always stay far away from any downed lines. They should assume they are energized and dangerous,” said Mike Burke, Chief Field Operations Executive at GMP. “We are ready for the possibility of outages, and will respond as quickly as safely possible.”
Forecasters on a statewide planning call for utilities and Vermont agencies highlighted that an increased flooding risk is shifting north, covering much of the state and continues into Saturday, with the highest risk in central and southern Vermont.
GMP is reminding customers that as with any storm, it is useful to have some basics on hand including a fully charged cell phone, some bottled water, battery-powered flashlights, emergency phone numbers, and a plan of where to go if you need to leave home. More storm safety tips are available on GMP’s website. You can report outages by calling 888-835-4672, through GMP’s online Outage Center, and through GMP’s app.
About Green Mountain Power
Green Mountain Power (GMP) serves approximately 266,000 residential and business customers in Vermont and is partnering with them to improve lives and transform communities. GMP is focused on a new way of doing business to meet the needs of customers with integrated energy services that help people use less energy and save money, while continuing to generate clean, cost-effective and reliable power in Vermont. GMP is the first utility in the world to get a B Corp certification, meeting rigorous social, environmental, accountability and transparency standards and committing to use business as a force for good. GMP earned a spot on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in the World list four years in a row (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). In 2019 GMP was honored by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Vermont Business Magazine with the Deane C. Davis Outstanding Vermont Business of the Year Award.
Kristin Kelly, Green Mountain Power
(802) 318-0872
[email protected]
Safety awareness is important in every storm and we want customers to be aware of the changing weather and water conditions in their area, and to always stay far away from any downed lines. They should assume they are energized and dangerous.
Mike Burke, GMP Chief of Field Operations
