BRATTLEBORO, Vt. -
Many of the Vermont areas hit hardest by Sandy stretch along Route 9 and the Massachusetts border.
Heavy rains drove motorists from the roadways, giving traffic along I-91 the look of a deserted country road.
Service vehicles dotted arteries throughout Southern Vermont though as crews sought to restore heat and light.
"This is easy, hopefully won't get any worse," says Vernon resident Doug Emery.
Monday night, Doug Emery checked in on his mother in-law along Frost Place in Brattleboro.
Last year, Irene flooded the neighborhood.
This year, a limb knocked out power
"She's 89 years old and hasn't had po.wer for 3, 4 hours, just checking to see if she wanted to come over to our house," he says. "She's fine, she's a trooper."
Before midnight, crews came to make repairs.
However, most of the hundreds who lost power in Brattleboro Monday night, need to wait for crews to help the thousands without electricity in Wilmington and other surrounding communities first.
Crews from Northern Vermont and beyond reached trouble spots along Rt. 9 just as Monday turned into Tuesday.
"We headed out about four o'clock Monday afternoon, had to make a couple of stops, Royalton, and we just barely got here now," says Norm Crete with Green Mountain Power.
He and his fellow workers -- some from as far as Florida -- say they'll keep working until there's nothing left to do.
