Members Write

Coop CurrentsCoop News

To Co-op Currents: As a 30 year industrial and commercial IBEW journeyman electrician, I recently became aware of a dangerous situation with trees that had fallen and brought powerlines into the street. Trees had been coming down in this specific spot on a semi regular basis, nearly hitting a moving vehicle and regularly bringing down powerlines into the street.  When …

An appreciation to WEC lineworkers

Coop CurrentsCoop News

By Don Douglas We experienced the first widespread outage on Friday, December 16, 2022 with most everyone back on by Saturday, December 17. The next storm wasn’t so easy. It started in the early morning hours on Friday, December 23. That’s when Board President Steve Knowlton lost power, along with many members in East Montpelier.  Despite all the things that …

President’s & General Manager’s Message

Coop CurrentsCoop News

Why this was WEC’s most expensive storm ever, and what’s next 40 broken poles, $900,000+ in damages. How WEC plans to respond to members’ needs for the next one Storm recap Steve: As a WEC member and Board member, I want to start by expressing my appreciation for the efforts of all WEC employees in restoring power during this outage. …

Winter Storm Elliott coverage

Coop CurrentsCoop News

By the Co-op Currents Editorial Committee On December 23, 2022, Winter Storm Elliott reached Vermont with extremely high winds coming from an unusual direction, and a thaw followed by a temperature plunge that created icy conditions so fast, state officials warned drivers to get to wherever they planned to spend the night by 3 p.m. It was a historic storm …

Winter Storm Elliott: How does it compare to previous storms?

Coop CurrentsCoop News

By Barry Bernstein Winter Storm Elliott, or the Christmas 2022 storm, will prove to be the most expensive storm in WEC’s history, but not the longest one in terms of days out. It was part of a storm front that put 200 million Americans on a winter alert: that’s two thirds of the US population. It was preceded by a …

Special: Winter Storm Elliott coverage and letter to members from GM Louis Porter

Coop CurrentsCoop News

Dear Fellow Members of Washington Electric Cooperative, I want to thank you for your patience during the recent outage, for caring for your neighbors, and for the encouragement and kindness you showed WEC staff. WEC has recovered from experiencing one of its most destructive storms in recent history. At the start of our restoration efforts, 5,700 members were without power …