Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative urges members to begin preparations for power outages in anticipation of snow and ice this week.
SVEC will have extra support staff on standby, ready to respond, should the situation require additional aid. The cooperative continues to monitor the progression of the storm and is in regular contact with weather tracking services for the latest information.
Keep in mind unsafe road conditions may increase SVEC’s response time to outages. Additionally, “blinking” of lights may occur, which is a normal condition during a weather event such as this. Co-op members do not need to report blinking lights in these circumstances.
The cooperative’s offices remain closed to the public and its field operations are limiting work to emergency and outage situations because of COVID-19. Current co-op policy restricts direct contact with members to lower the risk of exposure.
SVEC makes every effort to have power restored to members as quickly and safely as possible. The cooperative prioritizes restoration by first working scenes that will bring the most people back on. When available, estimated times for restoration will be provided in the Outage Center on www.svec.coop and through the MySVEC app. In the case of widespread outages, these estimated times may not be provided given the number of outage incidents crews are working.
The cooperative offers these tips in case of an outage:
- Do not make any attempts to clear trees or other debris from power lines. Note the location, and any other important information regarding these situations, and please contact SVEC immediately at 1-800-234-7832.
- Avoid contact with downed power lines.
- To report an outage, contact SVEC at 1-800-234-7832, even if you think your neighbor may have called. It is more effective for SVEC to know the location of all outages. Please do not report outages through SVEC’s social media channels or via email.
- Make sure your cell phone and other devices are fully charged in advance.
- Download the SVEC app, MySVEC, to report your outage and more. Visit www.svec.coop/app.
Prepare a home outage kit, to include:
- Flashlights and extra batteries
- A battery-operated radio
- Candles or lanterns and matches
- An alternate source of heat
- Canned or packaged foods
- Water (one gallon per person per day for drinking)
- Disposable plates and utensils
- Camp stove or other emergency cooking device
- Extra blankets or sleeping bags
- Fire extinguisher
- First aid kit
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