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To many Vermonters the memory of Irene is still there. Now it's Vermonts turn so on Thursday hundreds of GMP trucks, lineman and support staff headed to southern Ct to help get the power back on.
That is an impressive sight! Not unlike fire departments that can be overwhelmed at times, a mutual aid system is to everyone's benefit. These workers often are out there in some of the worst weather conditions too. My hat's off to them.
While I have always had a great relationship with CVPS, I just can't say the same for GMP. During Sandy an electrical line came down on the piece of property separating my neighbors house from mine. The wire was hot and sparking. It took 3 calls to 911 (two of which resulted in my local volunteer fire brigade coming to try to make sure the wire did not cause widespread damage), 5 calls to GMP (which were always met with ignorance by the customer service reps about when someone would come and deal with this line as well as refusals to allow me to speak to a supervisor) and one to the Public Service Board before any action was taken to solve this issue.
The hot line burned from at least 10 pm Monday night (that's when I noticed it) until 4:30 pm Tuesday afternoon and eventually when the rain stopped and the wind came up, started a brush fire where the line was landing. Even this information couldn't get a commitment from GMP as to when they would come and at the least turn off the power to the line. I do not think that the damage here in Windham County was so significant that a crew couldn't have been spared to come and at least neutralize this power line. I told GMP over and over again with each and every call that I didn't care when they came and restored my electricity, my neighbors have a generator and we were quite comfortable during all this, I just wanted to make sure my house didn't burn down as a result of this problem. Green Mountain Power was inadequate for my issue and if it were not for the Public Service Board I think my woods could still be burning.
My assesment....GMP zero, Newbrook Fire and Rescue....100%.
Apparently VT is even sending state police to help.
I was thinking of going down to bring a generator (I don't own one) for my friend who has a young family and no heat. I know the gas situation is bad too though.
Last edited by joe moving; 11-04-2012 at 05:38 AM..
Apparently VT is even sending state police to help.
I was thinking of going down to bring a generator (I don't own one) for my friend who has a young family and no heat. I know the gas situation is bad too though.
The gas situation is insane. I invited my mom and three sisters up to vermont b/c they are still w/o power, but they were worried they wouldn't be able to get enough gas to make it past the areas not hit by Sandy. My sister in northern NJ waited three hours yesterday and could only buy 10 gallons.
It will be a long time until people get back to any type of normalcy in that area NJ etc. I have some good friends stuck down there and the power situation is just a part of it. The gas lines are just a small part as well. The looting is getting bad as well. What good is power when you have nothing to connect it to? Most houses along the coast there aren't fit to have power pumping through them now.
I was going to load my truck with a gernerator and fuel, but once I did the math on it I realized I would be a rolling bomb as I would also need to carry down all the Diesel to get my truck back north to where I could fuel up again without an insane line so the trip was scrapped.
The police down there aren't allowing anyone into the area my friend lives to bring help as they don't have an ID proving they live/lived there and there is a curfew. So the government is keeping friendly aid out while other government agencies/public agencies cannot supply enough aid to support the people there.
Most people feel compelled to guard what is left of their "stuff" so they stay put. Not that they can get anywhere as their vehicles are mostly destroyed and the roads are impassable still.
Quite a mess.
All this being said, I respect the heck out of my friend down there as he knows he accepted risk when he bought a house close the coast and has enjoyed the seaside benefits and lifestyle for 20 years. He doesn't expect a government handout to "fix" this. There are pros and cons to living on the water, people tend to forget they accepted risk by living there. He wouldn't expect me to ask for government help for snow removal or heat as I chose to be in the NEK. It will be interesting to see how the government portion plays out. While we feel for the people who are in a world of crap, do you think the good folks of Indiana etc. feel like going to work today and having a portion of their taxes go to rebuilding beach front homes in NJ/NY/CT etc.? Interesting angle to this whole disaster thing.
I brought my elderly mom up from near the RI coast as a preventive measure, although they didn't end up suffering too badly there. I had considered buying a generator but was floored by the gas consumption of almost a gallon/hour for a half-load on an apparently medium-sized 3000w-5000w unit, IIRC. I don't know how I would continue to furnish fuel to such a contraption long-term even in the best of times. It seems crazy inefficient and that the best thing is to try and get those without heat to alternative shelter.
Logs, you are a good friend and I hope you can help your buddy in some other way. Maybe you can host him if he can let go of his "stuff"?
I think the good folks of Indiana, though, had their own flooding troubles last year as well as in other years, IIRC, which inspired federal responses.
My friend Dave is very much still stuck in NJ. His house is one of the only ones really spared much damage, however all the houses around him are a mess if they are still standing. As for his "stuff", Dave is a wealthy man by most measures, we don't worry about him buying a new TV etc. for him it is more emotional, plus a lot of his "stuff" would cause the National Guard to worry if he were to walk down the street with.
Here is the reality that isn't in the media:
The media makes it sound like as soon as the power is up and gas stations are back to normal that everything will be fine. To put some perspective on this, one of our stores is on a point in a hard hit area. Out field manager needed a police escort to get into the store as the area is evacuated. We were told it would be 30-60 days before we could get a work crew in to repair the store but they asked why we would bother as residents will not be allowed back for 3-6 months. The point isn't about the store, the point is the bleak outlook for the residents.
Regarding the example of the good folks in the midwest, I think the country as a whole can justify the cost of flood relief in the farm communities etc. but the thought of rebuilding waterfront real estate and the high costs and high risks in general might cause a different reaction. I sure don't want to foot the bill for someone to rebuild their exposed home on a bluff.....that is their choice to live in harm's way, not mine. Sounds harsh but there is a real economic piece to this that will play out over the next year or so.
Does anyone want to pay for them to construct another amusement park on stilts over the ocean? I don't. If it is funded with private $, have at it.
As for generators, they are thirsty, they are made for temporary power, not weeks of running, keeping those things filled is a rough task........especially with the gas situation.
To many Vermonters the memory of Irene is still there. Now it's Vermonts turn so on Thursday hundreds of GMP trucks, lineman and support staff headed to southern Ct to help get the power back on.
Such a heartening photo (initial post in this thread).
Of course it reminds me of the similar ones from a year back when the situation was the reverse, and it was out-of-state trucks & personnel coming to assist us (in reconnecting, stitching back together, our infrastructure here). Am all in favor of the give-and-take "karma" philosophy of such exchange, the rationale that "we're all in this together" (rather than the dictum of "you're each on your own").
I'm grateful that many areas hit by Irene last year were spared this time, and am sorry to hear/read that many places hit this time around are "out of sight"="out of mind" in the (national) news. C-D forums are one of the places I get updates on how things really are "on the ground", at grassroots level, for some folks in CT/NYC/NJ during the ongoing/extended Sandy aftermath.
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