REC crews, contractors and mutual-aid workers continue to make repairs and restore power after a winter weather mix on Thursday resulted in ice accumulations in REC’s western counties.
As of 2 p.m., about 1,900 member-owners remained without power as a result of more than 120 separate outage events. REC expects about half of the outages to linger into Saturday afternoon, with additional outages persisting into Sunday.
Field teams have discovered 20 broken poles and expect to uncover dozens of additional broken poles as they reach more damage sites. Each broken pole can take several hours to replace.
The damage and outages are concentrated mostly in the mountainous areas of Warren County, especially in the areas of Blue Mountain, Chester Gap, Lake Drive and High Knob. Many of the damage sites are difficult to reach, requiring crews and contractors to carry equipment by hand deep into remote rights of way and up steep terrain.
Crews have battled not only ice roads, but also falling branches and blocks of ice tumbling from the trees. Veteran employees describe the ice as among the worst they’ve witnessed in the parts of this region.
REC has worked with the Virginia Department of Transportation and the National Park Service to access remote damage sites, where fallen trees have blocked roadways or access is otherwise limited.
REC has moved crews from its Eastern Region to assist in outage restoration, and a total of five two-man mutual-aid crews from Northern Neck and Central Virginia Electric Cooperatives are assisting. Requests for additional mutual aid are pending.
As a safety reminder, member-owners should stay at least 30 feet clear of any downed power line and anything that might be in contact with a downed line. If you see a downed line, call 911 or REC at 800-552-3904.
If using a generator, never install one in a closed area like a garage. Exhaust gases contain carbon monoxide, which is poisonous. In addition, always isolate your generator from the co-op’s power lines using a professionally installed generator transfer switch if you have one. If you do not have a switch, connect appliances and other devices directly to your portable generator with the appropriate cords.
