Last Updated on October 3, 2015 3:03 pm
Falling trees due to saturated soil from days of heavy, sustained rain is causing a limited number of outages for Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation members.
At 12:15 pm, linemen were working to restore the final 35 members of 50 in Watauga County whose power was affected after a tree fell on power lines in Blowing Rock. Linemen in Caldwell County are also completing repairs to restore power to 25 members in the Patterson area affected by a tree on power lines. In Ashe County, linemen are working on power restoration for nine members also affected by a fallen tree.
To report an outage, call Blue Ridge Electric’s PowerLine: 1-800-448-2383.
Linemen started their day in the very early hours with outages caused by trees on power lines in Caldwell County beginning at 2:20 a.m. Linemen restored power for these 351 members in 90 minutes. Another 15 Caldwell County members were affected by a broken power pole at 4:12 a.m., which linemen restored by 7:14 a.m. Ashe County also experienced a few scattered outages this morning that were restored by 3:30 a.m.
Blue Ridge Electric advises member to think safety if they see downed power lines! Downed lines can still be energized and therefore dangerous or even deadly. Always report downed power lines and their location to Blue Ridge Electric by calling the toll free number: 1-800-451-5474.
Also remember to quick link or book mark the cooperative’s online outage map at: http://bremco.maps.sienatech.com/. The cooperative’s live online map shows any current outages and estimated time of restoration.
Members can also find more information at BlueRidgeEMC.com under the Storm Room and on the cooperative’s social media pages during major outages: www.facebook.com/blueridgeemc and Twitter: www.twitter.com/blueridgeemc.
Blue Ridge Electric advises members to be prepared with the following items and tips:
- Keep Blue Ridge Electric’s PowerLine outage reporting number handy: 1-800-448-2383. Also remember to keep smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices charged, including external back up power supply devices.
- Water: one gallon per person, per day
- Food: non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items
- Manual can opener
- Flashlights
- Battery-powered radio, preferably a NOAA Weather Radio.
- Extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Medications and other medical items your household may need
- Multi-purpose tool
- Sanitation and personal hygiene items
- Copies of personal documents such as medications, insurance policies, etc.
- Family and emergency contact information
- Extra cash
- Blankets, rain gear and other outdoor gear that would come in helpful during wet or cold weather
- A grill and extra propane or charcoal and lighter fluid may come in handy but be sure to use grills outdoors only.
- Battery operated clock
- A non-cordless phone which is likely to operate even when power is out.
- Check your electric garage door to be sure you know where the manual release is in case of a power outage.
