Are You Prepared For A Disaster?

Scenic Rivers Energy Cooperative’s Operations Department has an emergency response and disaster recovery plan for our cooperative.  Having a written plan in place will enhance our ability to recover from physical and financial losses, minimize damage to equipment or business interruptions and reduce exposure to liability. 

Emergencies and disasters happen in a variety of ways, the response to these events will also vary depending on the resources available and other circumstances surrounding the event.  Because of this, no plan is fool proof.  Good judgment and common sense are still the most essential qualities when responding to any emergency.

One concern is high volume calls when a widespread outage occurs.  We ask you to be patient.   The plan in place will have extra people taking phone calls.  We will have automated voices telling customers of current outages that we are aware of and will try to keep you informed.  In the case of a lengthy outage stay tuned to your local radio station for updates.

Service Restoration Priorities

When a severe storm knocks out power to a large area, line workers must decide where to go first in order to restore service to the greatest number of customers in the shortest amount of time.  Barring safety concerns that must take priority, Scenic Rivers Energy Cooperative generally follows this order in restoring service:

1. Transmission lines transport electricity over long distances from the generating plants to the substations.  We do not maintain these lines; our power provider Dairyland Power Cooperative is responsible for their repair and restoration.
2. Distribution substations are where electricity is stepped down from the transmission lines to a voltage level suitable for distribution lines.
3. Distribution lines carry electricity away into the countryside.
4. Tap lines generally run from a distribution line to serve small numbers of consumers.
5. Service lines extend between a single meter and a transformer.

What You Can Do To Be Prepared

• Flashlight with fresh batteries
• Candles and holders
• Matches
• Firewood and kindling
• Charcoal grill with charcoal and lighter
• Nonperishable food
• Manual can opener
• Paper plates and plastic utensils
• Radio with fresh battery
• First-aid kit
• Fueled-up vehicles
• Bottled water
• Wind-up or battery-operated clock
• Fully charged cell phones
• Baby needs—diapers, formula, wipes, etc.
• Pet needs—identification tags, food and water
• Homeowner’s insurance information
• Keep your Scenic Rivers location number where you can readily access it.  You can find your location number on your electric bill; it will start with a letter.  G is for Grant customers, L is for Lafayette customers and C is for Crawford customers.  We have refrigerator magnets at our offices that you can write your location number on.  If you don’t have one, stop in and pick one up.

In addition, some additional things that can be done to prepare for a storm include:  secure all outdoor items that could become airborne (patio furniture, grills, toys, boats, etc.), fill bathtubs or buckets with water to use for flushing toilets, and put blankets over freezers and refrigerators to help insulate them in the event of an extended outage (remember not to open them—you’ll let warm air in!)

After Your Lights Go Out….

Power outages that occur in severe weather or last for an extended period of time can place a heavy burden on the system at the moment the power is restored.  To prevent an overload on the system and possibly another outage, take these steps:

• Turn off every inside light except one.
• Turn down your thermostat.
• In cold weather, close windows and drapes to save heat.
• Pick one room on the warm side of the house and use blankets to insulate the windows.
• If the outage lasts more than 60 minutes, turn off the electric water heater.
• Make sure your kitchen range is off, both the surface and oven.  Never use it as a substitute for your heater.
• Turn off all unnecessary appliances.
• Avoid opening the freezer door.
• If you see a downed power line, STAY AWAY!!  Immediately go to a safe place and call our office.
• When power comes back on, slowly switch appliances and lights back on and gradually return your thermostat to its normal setting.

Think Safety When Using a Standby Generator

If an outage of several hours would be more than an inconvenience to you, consider protecting yourself and your property with a properly sized standby generator.  Take special care with portable electric generators, which can provide a good source of power, but if improperly installed or operated, can become deadly.

Do not connect generators directly to household wiring.  Power from generators can back feed along power lines and electrocute anyone coming in contact with them, including line workers making repairs.  A qualified, licensed electrician should install your generator to ensure that it meets local electrical codes.  Other tips include:

• Make sure your generator is properly grounded.
• Keep the generator dry.
• Plug appliances directly into the generator.
• Make sure extension cords used with generators are rated for the load, and are free of cuts, worn insulation, and have three-pronged plugs.
• Do not overload the generator.
• Do not operate the generator in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces.  Generators can produce high levels of carbon monoxide very quickly, which can become deadly.
• Use a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) to help prevent electrocutions and electrical shock injuries—Source:  Electrical Safety Foundation