Roanoke Electric Cooperative’s service territory was spared the worst of Hurricane Dorian’s wrath as it swept through the region on Sept. 6, with about 1,100 reported outages.
“We are fortunate that our service area did not have the damages and outages that our southeast neighbors experienced,” said Jimmy Liverman, the co-op’s vice president of operations. “I’d like to send a heartfelt thanks to our crews that served on the front lines and ensured our member-owners had power restored as quickly as possible. Thanks also to Lee Electric for their assistance, and our member-owners for alerting us of outages and being patient during our power restoration efforts. ”
While most of the co-op’s outages were resolved during the morning after the storm hit, restoring power proved more challenging in Gates County, where more than 1,100 member-owners lost power. Those outages were attributed to an electrical power transmission failure at Dominion Energy, the co-op’s power supplier.
Acknowledging that there were frustrations expressed over the extended power disruption, Liverman said the co-op is now addressing this issue with Dominion to avoid such delays in the future.
Weather forecasters are predicting an above-normal hurricane season during the peak months, August through October. To learn more about how you can be “storm ready,” check out these hurricane preparedness tips:
- Outline a communications and evacuation plan for your family. If you have pets or any livestock, include them in your plan.
- Create an emergency kit that includes the following:
- Important documents sealed in a watertight plastic bag
- Cash
- Enough non-perishable food, water and medication for at least three days
- First-aid kit
- Battery-powered radio
- Flashlight
- Extra batteries
- Personal hygiene items
- Extra clothes and blankets
- Food and other supplies for pets
- Sign up for local weather alerts and warnings by visiting the ReadyNC website where you will also find tips for preparing for natural disasters, real-time weather and traffic information, as well as a free mobile app for information on the go.
Throughout hurricane season check our website, and follow the co-op on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay informed about weather, outages and other information. Keep the co-op’s outage reporting information handy: 1 (800) 358-9437 or Text OUTAGE to 352667