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Business Office: 800-447-4509 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Monday - Friday)
Power Outage Reporting
(Day, Night, Weekends & Holidays) 800-752-0025
SERVING THE SUWANNEE
CEO’S CORNER
(8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. • Monday - Friday, Lobby Hours)
‘Heed t H e warnings’
Michael S. McWaters Executive V.P./CEO
I love living in the Suwannee Valley. A beautiful environment and friendly people make it a wonderful place to raise a family.
I imagine most of our members feel the same way. But living in this great community of ours also means facing the likelihood of severe storms whenever hurricane season comes around.
Like many of you, we at SVEC know that preparing for storm season starts long before the clouds gather. We ready our disaster plans, train regularly so that every employee knows what to do in case of an outage, and continually work at trimming tree limbs away from electric lines.
We do those things knowing that one day a storm will come along that knocks down those branches and we’ll need to be ready to respond. It’s the same reason each of you sits down with your family before hurricane season and makes an emergency plan.
However, it’s not always easy to think of everything you might need in an emergency when you’re comfortably at home. That’s why we’ve compiled a few helpful tips in this newsletter that can serve as a guide to help you and your family plan ahead.
As always, we’ll continue to work hard every day to make sure you have reliable electric service, rain or shine. And if the weather gets rough, we hope you’ll find this edition of our newsletter helpful. Thank you for reading and stay safe.
High winds, flying debris and flooding from hurricanes can create chaos in any community. But a few simple steps can go a long way in helping you avoid bigger problems.
Hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through November 30, has already brought heavy rains and flooding to parts of the Southeast this year. Forecasters also predict above-average activity, says Suwannee County Sheriff Sam St. John, who is also director of Suwannee Valley Emergency Management.
Rescue crews and aid workers will be dispatched after a storm, St. John says. But basic services such as electricity, gas, water and telephones could be interrupted. Extensive damage could take longer for line crews to repair.
“We’re going to do what we can to help people, but they also need to prepare for power outages and other storm-related problems,” he says.
Your
St. John recommends families prepare before storms hit by taking the following actions:
Know the safe spot in your home. A small interior room such as a closet or bathroom with no windows is the best option. If you live in a mobile home, consider seeking safer shelter before a storm hits.
“With hurricanes, there’s always advance notice,” St. John says. “We can generally know how strong it’s going to be. If it looks like it’s going to be bad, you should pack up and find someone out of the area to stay with. We hope that everybody will heed these warnings.”
But if leaving isn’t practical, make sure your family arranges for a place to meet if the home is flooded or damaged. With a plan in place, you’re prepared even if phone lines and cell towers are damaged.
One of the easiest ways to keep your family and pets comfortable during an outage is by assembling a disaster supply kit. Consider using a clearly marked plastic bin to store the following items:
Drinking water, nonperishable food items and medications for at least three days. A supply of 1 gallon of water per person per day is recommended.
First-aid kit.*
Lanterns, flashlights, or candles and matches.*
Cash.
Personal hygiene items.
Battery-operated emergency or weather radio. It’s best if the radio also has a clock.*
Extra batteries.
Battery-operated cellphone chargers.
Tarps, garbage bags, baggies, cups and utensils.
Important documents.
*Radios, first-aid kits and lanterns can be ordered through links on SVEC’s website at svec-coop.com/storm-supplies. Four percent of the purchase price will be donated to the United Way of Suwannee Valley.
At SVEC, we work hard to keep the lights on. But during storm season, we want to make sure you always have a fast and convenient way to let us know if you have lost power.
online
Outages can be reported using the SmartHub portal at svec-coop.com. The website also features a live outage map.
Outages can be reported from your smartphone or other mobile device once you’ve downloaded our SmartHub app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. You can also view our outage map and receive a text message when your power has been restored. This can be a huge benefit if you have been waiting out your outage at another location.
Members can call 800-752-0025 to report an outage. Our outage management system recognizes your service location by the telephone number associated with your account. To make reporting easier for you and to allow us to speed up response and restoration times, please keep your account information up to date. You can update your information by using SmartHub or by contacting member services at 800-447-4509.
Keep at least a weeK’s worth of food and water on hand.
If possible, divide your pet’s meals into individual storage containers. If you have to evacuate, this will help ensure you bring enough food and allow you to assist others who may have to care for your pet. Also, carry bottled water (24 ounces per day for a 20-pound dog and 8 ounces a day for a 10-pound cat) and bowls.
MaKe sure you have a good supply of your pet’s medications.
Make sure you have plenty of prescription medications. If you have to evacuate, pack medications in a bag and write down your current dosing schedule in case you have to temporarily place your pet in someone else’s care.
Carriers can serve as a safe space for a nervous pet and are required at many pet shelters. Be sure to label the carrier with your pet’s name, breed, gender, date of birth, your current address and contact numbers, and any important medical information.
Keeping your family safe before, during and after storms requires preparation. But even the most prepared can run into problems. Make sure your family understands these tips for staying safe.
tip #1: stay away from downed power lines
If you see a power line down, do not go near it. Report it immediately to SVEC by calling 800-752-0025. Remember, it isn’t possible to know if a power line is energized or not, just by looking at it.
Also, for your safety, never attempt to remove vegetation that is in contact with a power line. Let SVEC take care of it.
Generators should be connected to appliances only. If temporarily connecting to the home’s wiring is necessary, a licensed electrician should install a transfer switch. A transfer switch can prevent electricity from flowing from your generator back out onto power lines during an outage. This backflow could electrocute a line worker restoring your power. When electricity has been restored, the switch will also prevent power from flowing back in and destroying your generator.
Always operate a generator in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines and instructions.
To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, never use a generator indoors or in an attached garage.
SVEC members who have questions about the installation and safe use of portable generators may call the cooperative at 800-447-4509.
During a storm warning, secure patio furniture and other loose materials that might become dangerous projectiles during strong winds. Windows can be secured with tape, plywood or shutters.
Never taste food to determine if it’s safe to eat!
Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.
Discard any perishable food that has been above 40 °F for two hours or more.
If the power has been out for several days, check the temperature of the freezer. If the food still contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below, the food is safe.
tip #5: listen up
Listen to NOAA weather alerts at the following radio frequencies:
When in doubt, throw it out!
In our modern lives, electricity has gone from being a convenience to an outright necessity. Most of us depend on it to do our jobs, prepare meals and even stay in touch with friends and family. And that reliance on electric power is never more apparent than when a storm or fallen tree leads to an outage.
At Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, we work hard throughout the year to improve our system’s reliability and ensure that everyone is prepared to act quickly in the event of an outage. From having a plan in place to the restoration process itself, SVEC always stands ready to respond to our members’ needs.
When you’re without power, even a short outage can be a big inconvenience. Most of the time, problems can be fixed within a few minutes or hours, but if big storms cause large-scale damage, longer outages can occur.
In those cases, SVEC crews work long hours to restore service to the greatest number of members in the shortest time. That means addressing issues that impact large areas before making repairs that will restore power to a few individual homes.
Thinking about taking advantage of SmartHub’s convenient outage reporting and account management tools? Sign up for SmartHub from July 15 through August 15 and be automatically entered in a drawing to win an Amazon Kindle Fire.
Find the SmartHub app for iPhone or iPad in the Apple App Store or simply scan this QR code.
Find the SmartHub app for an Android device at Google Play or simply scan this QR code.
High-voltage transmission lines — While transmission towers and cables that deliver electricity to substations rarely fail, they can leave thousands of members without power when they do. In some cases, SVEC’s transmission provider may have to make repairs before the rest of the system can operate.
Distribution substations — Each substation provides service to hundreds or even thousands of members around it. It’s unusual for a problem with substation equipment to cause an outage, but when it does, fixing the problem is a top priority.
Main distribution feeders — If no repairs are needed within the substation itself, linemen go to work on the distribution lines that feed from it. These lines carry electricity to large groups of people, such as entire communities or housing developments. 3.
Tap lines — If there are still local outages after the main distribution feeders have been repaired, crews will turn their focus to tap lines. These lines carry power to the transformers you may have seen mounted on pads or poles outsides businesses, schools and homes. 4.
Individual homes — Once all tap lines have been repaired, any remaining outages are addressed individually. Line crews will make any needed repairs between a tranformer and your home. 5.