WINDHAM COUNTY — With nearly 25,000 people in the state of Vermont without power at this time, according to Green Mountain Power’s website, including more than 3,000 in Westminster and Rockingham, many emergency shelters are starting to open.
A warming shelter at Chroma Technology in Bellows Falls opened at 8 p.m. and will be available until further notice.
With another 3,000 without power in Putney, Dummerston, Brattleboro, Guilford and Vernon, a warming shelter is set to open at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Brattleboro Union High School.
“As of this briefing 25 percent of Brattleboro is without power," said the press release from the Brattleboro Fire Department. "Green Mountain Power has advised that this will be a multi-day event to get all their customers' power restored. The town continues to work closely with Green Mountain Power to identify issues, move trees out of the way, and open roads as quickly as possible."
The press release also stated that the Red Cross will be operating a regional warming shelter to help warm people, feed them, and allow them to charge electronic devices. A decision will be made Wednesday to expand the shelter to accommodate housing.
The press release said that other things to consider are: having a fully charged cell phone, flashlights with spare batteries, bottled water, drawing extra water in your tub if supplied by a well, and, if you use a generator, make sure it is properly vented. Also make sure you have a working smoke/carbon monoxide detector on each level of your home.
If you come across an electrical or phone line down, remember to consider the line to be electrified, and call 911 to report the line down. Green Mountain Power has a website where you can report an outage: 888-835-4672.
The fire department stressed that everyone should stay off the roads during the storm, and also stressed the importance of checking on your neighbors.
