Watch out for severe weather

Severe Weather Awareness Week is designed to remind and educate everyone about the seasonal threats from severe weather and how to avoid them. It’s also a great time to make and practice your emergency plan, refresh your emergency preparedness kit and revisit what to do should you encounter a downed power line.

Severe Weather Awareness Week is April 7-11 in Minnesota. The state conducts tornado drills April 10. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota experiences an average of 29​ tornadoes per year, with a record of 64 tornadoes occurring in 2021.

Severe weather can damage and knock down power lines and equipment, creating dangerous situations. If you see a downed or sagging power line, here are a few things to keep in mind.

• Keep your distance and call 911 to report it immediately.
• There is no way to tell if a power line is energized just by looking at it; always assume it can carry electrical current strong enough to kill.
• Never drive over a downed power line if it is blocking your driveway or road. Call 911 to report it and find another route.
• Never touch anything that is also touching a power line, including trees with limbs caught in a power line.
• If a power line falls on your car or otherwise contacts your vehicle, stay in your vehicle. Use your cell phone to call 911 and wait for help to arrive.
• If you must exit your vehicle (due to fire), jump clear of the vehicle without touching it. Land with your feet together and shuffle away.

When severe weather causes widespread damage, outages may be extensive and widespread. Great River Energy and its member-owner cooperatives and customers work hard to restore power quickly and safely, first removing any threats to public safety, then following established priorities for making repairs that will restore power to the most members first.

To learn more about how power is restored, down power lines and more, visit the “How your power is restored” page of Great River Energy’s website.

Flood safety

When severe weather comes with heavy rain, be aware of possible flooded roadways. People often underestimate the force and power of water.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous flood water. Many of the deaths occur in cars swept downstream and are preventable. Never drive around the barriers blocking a flooded road. The road may have collapsed under that water.

And it does not take much water to create a hazardous situation. Six inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult, and just 12 inches of rushing water can carry away most cars.