Fredericksburg, Va. - Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) crews, mutual-aid workers and contractors inched closer to restoring the remaining outages after Winter Storm Frida pummeled its 22-county service territory a week ago today.
As of 6 p.m., about 2,100 outages remain, but there are still more than 310 separate outage events. Each event requires a separate crew or crews with unique repairs and challenges – many involving multiple pole replacements. The force of Frida broke nearly 600 power poles.
At this point in the restoration process, each completed event restores power to only about seven members at a time. More than 1,200 field workers continue to blitz the remaining outages to restore service as quickly and safely as possible. More than a foot of heavy wet snow downed thousands of trees, causing massive and widespread damage to the electric grid.
REC continues to share updates on the outage restoration progress and crew work locations on its website, myrec.coop
Crews are working in the areas where power outages remain. Please review the following estimates for power restoration:
Outages with crew en route or on site:
- Estimated restoration: Monday, January 10. Some outages could linger into tomorrow.
Outages with a crew currently assigned:
- Estimated restoration: Tuesday, January 11. In areas with severe damage, some outages could continue into Wednesday, January 12.
Outages that are currently unassigned:
- Due to the extent of damage in your area, we estimate that power will be restored by Wednesday, January 12. In situations where there is severe damage, some outages could continue into Thursday, January 13.
“While we have restored power to 98% of members who lost service in the storm, we remain just as committed to bringing lights and heat back to those who are still waiting,” said Casey Hollins, Managing Director – Communications and Public Relations.
