Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative urges members to begin preparing for power outages because of forecasted mixed precipitation on Sunday.
SVEC will have extra support staff on standby, ready to respond, should the situation require additional help. The cooperative continues to monitor the progression of the storm and is in regular contact with its 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 an event such as this.
The cooperative’s offices remain closed to the public as a result of COVID-19 but field crews continue to respond to emergencies and outages. Please know that current co-op policy restricts direct contact with members to lower the risk of exposure to the coronavirus.
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 svec.coop and through the MySVEC app. In the case of widespread outages, estimated times may not be provided.
The cooperative would like to offer 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. The cooperative will work to ensure that power is restored as soon as possible. Avoid contact with downed power lines.
Report your outage to 1-800-234-7832, or over the MySVEC app (svec.coop/app), 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 is fully charged in advance of a storm.
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