Our area is currently under a winter storm watch, with the increasing potential that it will be upgraded to an ice storm warning. Forecasts are predicting potentially crippling amounts of freezing rain and ice accumulation. Any significant amount of ice accumulation on trees and power lines dramatically increases the probability for widespread and extended power outages.
We are preparing for conditions that include downed tree and ice-laden lines, and are urging members to take precautions in advance of the storm. The weight of the ice in tree tops causes them to lean and fall into lines, in addition to the added weight from ice accumulation on power lines that places additional stress on power poles. Power restoration following an ice storm is also a slow and tedious process due to the difficult and dangerous conditions.
In the event outages do occur, we will respond as quickly and safely as possible and we thank you ahead of time for you patience while our crews work to restore power. For information on outage reporting, as well as outage tracking, visit the Outage Center at Outage Center | Central Electric Membership Corporation.
