Farmers RECC crews are receiving assistance today from more than 40 mutual aid crew members as restoration efforts continue. While crews have made good progress, restoration remains slow due to extensive damage and hazardous conditions. Crews continue to encounter numerous downed trees, damaged power lines, broken poles, and treacherous road conditions.  

Members should be prepared for power restoration to extend through at least Wednesday, with some outages possibly lasting into Thursday.  

Another complicating factor today is wind. Forecasted wind gusts of up to 35 mph, combined with ice weighing down trees and power lines, increase the risk of additional outages. Already weakened trees and lines may snap under added pressure throughout the day.  

Members who rely on oxygen or other medical equipment, or who do not have an alternate heat source, are strongly encouraged to make alternative arrangements during extended outages, including utilizing county warming centers.  

Some members may be wondering why a neighbor has power while they do not. This can occur for several reasons. Your home may be served by a different substation, line, or transformer. Damage may also exist at your service line or service connection point. Members should also check their panel box to ensure no circuit breakers have tripped.  

We have received questions from members who are seeing daily usage readings despite being without power. Our metering system estimates daily usage based on historical data when a meter does not communicate. Once power is restored and communication is re-established, the meter will reset to reflect actual usage.   

Our Outage Viewer provides real-time outage information, including crew assignments. Learn more at farmersrecc.com/outagecenter. Due to the complexity of the restoration and the number of crews involved, we are unable to provide exact crew locations or future dispatch details.  

To allow employees to focus solely on restoration efforts, our offices will be closed Tuesday, January 27.  

Despite brutal temperatures and challenging conditions, we remain all hands on deck and will continue working safely and diligently toward full restoration for our members.