Summer Storm Safety

Intense summer storms can be beautiful to watch, yet have the potential to be very destructive – and they can arise quickly. Lightning strikes, booming thunder, and torrential rain are powerful forces that, when coming in contact with utility infrastructure, can lead to power outages and damage to equipment.

Here are some lightning safety tips to keep you and your family safe:

• Head indoors at the first sign of lightning and invest in a surge protection device for your home electronics.
• Stay off corded phones, computers, and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity.
• Avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths, and faucets.
• Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
• Immediately move off elevated areas.
• Never lie flat on the ground.
• Never shelter under an isolated tree.
• Immediately get out of and away from bodies of water.

Backup generators are great during power outages, but please be sure a licensed professional installed it through a transfer switch. Improperly wired generators can result in electricity backfeeding onto power lines, which can be incredibly dangerous for co-op lineworkers and those inside your home. Never operate a generator indoors or in confined spaces.

A good tip to remember: Keep fridges and freezers closed as much as possible during a power outage. An unopened refrigerator will safely keep food cold for about four hours; a full freezer will do so for about 48 hours.

For more information about how to protect your home electronics and appliances, visit CassCountyElectric.com.

CCEC outage restoration steps:
1. In situations where substation control equipment notifies technicians of an abnormality, technicians communicate with meters to see which meters are “talking back.”

2. Outage Management Systems (OMS) can help us pinpoint the location of the problem based on calls.

3. Inbound calls and app submissions alert us of an outage and help narrow down the scope.

4. The outage viewer is continuously updating as technicians and line crews work the outage(s).

5. Power control technicians may remotely reroute (switch) power in situations where this is possible.

6. During business hours, crews immediately proceed to the outage. After hours, line crews are contacted and proceed to our service centers to get their vehicles.

7. As soon as the outage is verified, text/e-mail outage notifications are sent to affected members.

8. Crews investigate the cause of the outage and work with power control to determine the safest course to restore power.

9. Line crews are on-site and completing repairs.