REC crews worked through the night to restore outages associated with the high winds that arrived in Virginia late yesterday. This morning, 13 additional crews arrived from electrical cooperatives in North Carolina to assist with restoration efforts.
As of 10 a.m., about 2,000 outages remain. With the soil saturated from this weekend's rain and the wind continuing to howl, new outages continue to be reported as trees topple onto power lines. Most of the current outages are in the counties of Warren, Clarke and Rappahannock, with scattered outages in other counties. There are numerous reports of broken poles. With winds gusting to near 50 mph, and soft ground making it difficult for bucket trucks to access damage, much of the repair efforts are being performed manually.
Safety is always a top priority for our employees and member-owners. Downed power lines and trees touching the lines are extremely dangerous. If you see a downed line, report it by contacting REC 800-552-3904 or by calling 911, and be sure to keep others away from the line.
REC provides electric service to over 169,000 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.
