Prepare Now for Winter Storms

             We’ve seen a few snow flurries this week that means it is time to start thinking about the possibility of winter storms. It’s hard to predict the weather, but it’s easy to prepare for it. Here’s how to plan ahead for unavoidable power outages that can accompany winter storms.

• Listen to weather forecasts every day so you’ll know when high winds or heavy snows or ice are on the way. That kind of winter weather is most likely to affect power lines.
• Prepare an outage kit that contains: a battery-powered radio, fresh batteries, a flashlight, candles, matches, a wind-up clock, bottled water, and paper plates and plastic utensils.           
• Keep a stock of canned food in your cupboard, along with a manual can opener. Consider buying a camp stove and fuel that you can use (outdoors only, please) if you can’t cook on your electric stove.
• Tape Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative’s outage report phone number on your refrigerator so it will be handy if you must report an outage. Call your local SVEC office (949-2198 – Dunlap; 447-2131 – Pikeville; 837-8605 - South Pittsburg; 931-592-2511 - Tracy City) during business hours – 7:30 am – 4:30 pm, Monday-Friday or 1-888-421-7832 after hours and on weekends.
• Pile a few extra blankets and sweaters together so you can find them easily if the heat goes off. Dress in layers to stay warm.
• Teach children to stay away from fallen or sagging power lines. They could be energized and dangerous, even if the power is out.

            Our hope is that the weather will spare us and we won’t have any outages this winter. If we do, however, we’ll restore service as quickly as possible. Just in case, though, it’s better to be prepared than to sit in the dark.

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