Versant Power crews work through trees to get customers connected again - WABI
Versant Power crews work through trees to get customers connected again
BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - Versant Power crews are working and sawing to get their customers reconnected.
“Versant Power has 164,000 customers in northern and eastern Maine, and we have seen more than half of them lose their power in the storm,” said Judy Long, the senior communications manager for Versant Power.
One of the many significant factors to restoration is removing trees that have landed on power lines.
“Most of the work that the crews are doing now that they’ve taken care of most of the initial emergencies, got the volt power system going, and now they’re actually working down individual circuits and assessing any further damage,” said Long.
They’ve restored almost half their customers from the peak total outages of close to 100,000, however they do expect recovery efforts to continue throughout the week.
That’s why they’ve called on additional help.
“We’ve gotten additional line crews from Long Island as well as Canada that are here to help us,” said Long.
Usually, their crews will look to repair larger outages first.
When asked about how timelines are laid out, Long said the recovery of one problem could lead to the start of recovery for another.
“A lot of times while we’re working to repair damage, we’ll be able to see some damage, but then as we get that repaired, we may find another spot further down the line that needs additional repairs,” said Long.
“That’s what makes it so tricky for us to give precise estimated times of restoration.”
With it being less than a week from Christmas, holiday travelers should always be on the lookout for crews.
“As you’re driving, please take a moment,” said Long. “Think about the fact that there’s still a lot of damage out there on the roads. There’s still a lot of branches down, trees down, and a lot of workers working roadside. So, if you’re traveling for the holidays, please slow down, stay safe, be watchful for debris and watchful for our workers that are out there trying to get everyone reconnected.”
If you’re a Versant power customer, you can keep up to date with restorations by looking at their outage map.
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