Storm Safety Tips

Storms can be troubling for utilities. The following guidelines will help you prepare for potential outages, and help you stay safe during a storm:

• Have flashlights, fresh batteries and blankets on hand.
• If you see a downed power line, do not touch it.  Stay away from it and keep others away.  Contact your power company immediately.
• Do not touch tree limbs or other objects touching a power line.  Never try to remove a tree limb or any object that is in contact with a power line.  Your power company.
• Do not attempt to tie generators into the house circuit. This can be dangerous to you, your neighbors and to our linemen. Plug appliances directly into the generator. Supplemental heaters and generators designed for home use should be used with extreme caution, paying close attention to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Should the power go out while you are cooking dinner, remember to turn the stove off and remove any cookware from the cooking surfaced and oven.
• Do not open refrigerators or freezers during an outage unless absolutely necessary.  Repeated openings cause the cold air to escape and food to thaw more quickly.
• It's hard to resist the urge to supplement your heating system if a power outage shuts it down, but in reality household items such as cooking stoves or ovens and outdoor grills should never be used for heat. If you use a fireplace for heat, be sure to extinguish any flames before going to bed. Candles also should be extinguished.
• Check your yard for loose materials that could be blown around by strong storm winds. Place all lawn furniture, hoses, garden ornaments, etc, inside your house or garage. These loose items could damage the natural gas meter set. It is NOT necessary to turn off your natural gas service during a storm. Natural gas is distributed through underground pipelines, so gas service is not normally interrupted in even the most severe weather.
• Those who choose to leave can help protect their homes, appliances and equipment from electrical damage by turning off their power at the circuit breaker panel or fuse box.

Make an Emergency Kit

Some recommended items to include in the kit are:

• A battery powered radio 
• Flashlights for everyone in the family
• A battery operated lantern and extra fresh batteries 
• A first aid kit 
• Disposable plates and utensils 
• A non-electric can opener
• Extra blankets
• Bottled water and an adequate supply of non-perishable food 
• A corded telephone (cordless phones won't work if the power is out) 
• A list of emergency phone numbers