For Immediate Release
Jessica Parr
757-676-6556 (C)
Windsor, VA (Sept. 21, 2023) - Community Electric Cooperative is closely monitoring the path of a potential tropical storm as it approaches our service territory, and is preparing to respond quickly and safely to its potential impacts on the electric system.
The National Hurricane Center on Thursday afternoon issued a tropical storm warning for parts of the East Coast stretching from North Carolina to Delaware. This means tropical storm force winds are expected in the next 36 hours. The storm’s peak impacts are expected Friday and Saturday.
Line technicians are prepping trucks with all necessary supplies and materials for any outages that may occur as a result of the storm. System operators are monitoring the cooperative's power system and weather, and all other employees are on high alert, ready to respond to member needs, including the cooperative’s member service contact center. CEC has coordinated with co-ops in surrounding areas and states for potential assistance.
“This coordination will prove helpful should extreme weather cause extensive outages that require the deployment of out-of-state support personnel,” said Jonathan Thompson, CEC’s Chief Operations Officer. “If need be, we will expand our contact to federal, state and local emergency management agencies to ensure a coordinated response – depending on the severity that this storm brings.”
Community Electric urges members to make preparations now to remain safe and comfortable in the event of an outage.
How You Can Prepare:
- Assemble an emergency kit. It should include at least a three-day supply of water, non-perishable food, medication, first aid supplies, a flashlight, weather radio and extra batteries. Include a list of emergency contacts.
- Charge your cell phone and have external, backup power sources charged.
- Develop an evacuation plan in case it’s needed. Communicate the plan to your family. Include pets or livestock in your plan.
- Secure outdoor items. Safely store lawn furniture, decorations, toys, garbage cans and other items that can be brought indoors.
- Close windows and doors in the event of high winds.
- Fuel up. Fill up your vehicles before the storm as a loss of power could affect gas stations.
- Consider having supplies handy for your propane or charcoal grill. Be sure to grill outdoors in well-ventilated areas for safety.
Keep all devices charged in order to report an outage via the SmartHub app.
As a reminder, if heavy rains and strong winds lead to downed lines, stay away! Contact with downed lines can be dangerous, even deadly. Report downed power lines to Community Electric Cooperative at 757-242-6181 or call 911 immediately.
The cooperative will respond to all outages as soon as conditions are safe. Please note:
- Assessing damage and estimating when members will have power restored could take 24 hours or longer after the worst of the storm has moved through the area.
- Line crews can be deployed to restore service only when weather conditions become safe.
- Line crews are restricted from working on overhead power lines during adverse weather conditions, such as thunderstorms in the immediate vicinity, and sustained winds of 35 miles per hour (30 mph if the work involves installing or replacing materials).
Community Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Windsor, is a not-for-profit member-owned energy provider that serves nearly 12,000 homes, farms and businesses in the counties of Isle of Wight, Southampton, Surry, and Sussex and the City of Suffolk. For more information, go to www.comelec.coop.
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