Severe Weather Awareness Week, April 13-17, is a great time for Minnesotans to prepare for unpredictable and extreme Midwestern weather. Great River Energy and its member-owner cooperatives and customers are always working to keep the power flowing to homes, farms and businesses.
“Severe weather increases the likelihood of electric service interruptions, even though outages are typically brief for most people,” said Mark Peterson, director of system operations at Great River Energy. “During these events, personal safety is essential. If an outage happens, it’s important to stay aware of your surroundings and avoid downed power lines as our crews work to restore power safely and as quickly as possible.”
If you come across a downed or low hanging power line, keep these important safety tips in mind:
• Stay well away from the area and call 911 right away to report it.
• You can’t tell whether a power line is energized just by looking at it — always assume it could provide deadly electrical voltage.
• Do not drive over a downed power line, even if it’s blocking your driveway or roadway. Call 911 and take a different route.
• Avoid touching anything that is in contact with a power line, including trees or branches tangled in the line.
• If a power line falls onto your vehicle or touches it, remain inside the vehicle. Call 911 using your cell phone and wait for emergency responders.
• If you must leave your vehicle because of a fire, jump clear without touching the car. Land with both feet together and shuffle away from the vehicle.
When severe weather causes widespread damage, sometimes outages can be extended. When this happens, Great River Energy and its member-owner cooperatives and customers work hard to restore power quickly and safely. The first focus is on removing any threats to public safety, then following established priorities for making repairs that will restore the most members first.
For more information and videos about how your power is restored, how to prepare an emergency kit, how to keep food fresh and more, visit greatriverenergy.com/restoringyourpower.
When severe weather is accompanied by heavy rain, be aware of possible flooded roadways. People 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.
• Six inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult.
• Twelve inches of rushing water can carry away most cars.
• Twenty-four inches of rushing water can carry away SUVs and trucks.
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