As we approach the peak of hurricane season, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives are reminding their members of tips and resources for storm preparedness, as well as and how local co-ops are working to keep members safe this storm season.
Co-op employees are ready to help members in the event of a storm by posting weather updates, providing safety resources and working on the ground to keep your power on. While members are preparing at home, co-op line crews pre-stage materials, stock trucks and test power restoration equipment well ahead of storms. In the event of severe weather, all cooperatives have employees on stand-by ready to help their communities — or even other co-op areas across the state.
There are a few things members can do in preparation for any storm that might hit their area:
- Assemble an emergency kit: This should include non-perishable food, water and necessary medication. Other items to add could be blankets, batteries and flashlights.
- Charge your electronic devices: Charging your cell phone, as well as other devices like laptops and smart watches, will allow connection to emergency updates even if the power goes out.
- Connect with your local electric cooperative: Find where your co-op posts updates on safety and outages. Save your co-op’s outage reporting number to your phone so, should power go out, you’re able to quickly report it.
Visit ncstormcenter.coop for all the information you need about preparing for different types of severe weather, including contact information for your local co-op and up-to-date outage numbers from electric co-ops across the state.