Tideland EMC Prepared for Winter Storm

Monday, January 27, 2014 - 18:38 Press Release

In anticipation of severe winter weather, Tideland Electric Membership Corporation has taken steps to increase its available work force by thirty percent. These additional crews and vehicles have been staged on both the mainland and along the Outer Banks in advance of the approaching weather system.

According to Tideland EMC chief executive officer Paul Spruill, “The potential for snow and ice related outages is twofold. There’s the initial snowfall and freeze that can bend and break vegetation. Then as thawing begins there’s the potential for another series of outages as trees become upright and increase the likelihood of contact with power lines. That’s why power companies spend a great deal of time and money year round trimming trees in the utility right of way."

The cooperative is particularly concerned with the forecast for high winds and freezing rain in coastal regions. Such conditions could lead to a phenomenon known as galloping lines which has the potential to break wooden cross arms and insulators.

Homes and businesses served by underground power lines aren’t free from outage worries either. Spruilll said, “While underground outages occur less frequently it can be a real challenge to repair underground lines when the ground is frozen.”

If the meter box or electric service entrance to your home or business is pulled away from the side of the building a licensed electrician must make repairs before power can be restored.

If you experience a power outage, cut off the individual breakers to major appliances such as water heaters, refrigerators and heating equipment. Once power has been restored wait 15 minutes before turning on the breakers. This gives the electric system time to warm back up without creating an overload situation that could cause another outage.

If power has not been lost but the lights in your home start to dim or blink repeatedly turn off as many items as possible to reduce electric system loads and avoid a potential outage.

Anyone using a generator for emergency power should make sure the unit is properly grounded and well ventilated to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Generators should never be connected to household wiring unless a proper transfer switch is installed. If a transfer switch is not used, the electricity generated by the consumer could feed back onto utility lines which could endanger the lives of crews working to restore power. That’s why Tideland EMC reminds the public to consider all downed power lines as potentially energized.

Tideland EMC will issue additional advisories as needed as weather conditions develop.