North Carolina's electric cooperatives Monitoring Forecasts, Preparing for Winter Storm

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North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives

Jan 10, 2011, 11:24 ET

RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- North Carolina's electric cooperatives are on standby and are ready to restore power as quickly as possible should outages occur as a result of the forecasted winter storm.

"The state's 26 electric cooperatives are carefully monitoring this winter weather system and are prepared for possible power outages in the 93 counties served by the electric cooperatives," said Jane Pritchard, director of corporate communications for North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation. Because North Carolina's electric cooperatives are located in the communities they serve, restoration crews are always on-site and can begin work immediately.

You can prepare for this winter weather event by making sure you have a way to stay warm if the power does go out. Dress in layers and make an emergency kit that includes the following items: extra blankets, flashlights, batteries, a battery-operated radio, first aid kit, manual can opener, canned food and bottled water. Never use outdoor grills or gas-powered generators inside or in attached garages. This could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be deadly.

Ice accumulation can bring down power lines. If you see a downed power line, report it to your electric cooperative immediately, and never touch or drive over a downed line.

Electric cooperative members are asked to call their cooperative directly if they experience a disruption in power. For a complete list of phone numbers to report outages and a list of counties served by each co-op, refer to www.ncelectriccooperatives.com/storm. Those phone numbers should be retrieved and on-hand before power outages occur.

North Carolina's electric cooperatives provide energy to 2.5 million people in 93 of 100 counties, primarily in rural parts of the state. The electric cooperatives own and maintain more than 95,000 miles of power lines, by far the most of any electric utility in North Carolina.

www.ncelectriccooperatives.com

SOURCE North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives