RICHMOND, Vt. (WCAX) – Many people were without power Saturday after strong winds from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby knocked out lights across our area.
“Usually when the power goes down, it’s maybe a couple hours max. So kind of let it be, but. Last night came home around probably ten thirty and the power was still out,” said Cassie Lathrop.
Lathrop lives in downtown Winooski and she says her street lost power Friday afternoon after a transformer blew up in front of her house. She says she called the electric company several times and got no answer of when the power would be back on.
“With the clouds we did not have much light, couldn’t really do much. It’s funny to walk into a room and still kinds flip the lights on and off out of habit. Have it not turn on. This has been the longest I have been without power when things have gone down in Vermont before,” said Lathrop.
But after nearly 24 hours in the dark Green Mountain Power fixed the issue turning Lathrop’s lights back on.
Crews have restored power to more than 36,000 customers by Saturay evening, and are working against time to get the electricity going again.
The storm caused widespread damage all over the state, with the most severe damage in the Champlain Valley. A tree on the lines on Governor Peck Road in Richmond has dozens of people without power. “It was just really, really, windy. It did not really rain that much. But obviously it took out a lot of trees. We actually drove out through this, it was a little higher about an hour ago. It must have come down a bit more. We did not have power when we left. That was about an hour ago,” said George Bennum of Richmond. G.M.P. says they prepared for Debby but didn’t expect her wrath to be as strong as it was. “This storm hit so hard, harder than forecasted. With strong winds that uprooted trees, and caused a lot of damage that crews are facing and repairing right now for customers,” said Kristin Carlson of Green Mountain Power.
Electric companies across the state tell us that crews are not going stop until all the lights are turned back on. But remember if you see down power lines do not go underneath them.