NC Public Power Communities Well Prepared for Hurricane Dorian

As Hurricane Dorian makes its way up the East Coast, North Carolina’s public power communities are well prepared for high winds and heavy rains expected to accompany the storm. Emergency assistance plans have been activated and communities are beginning to stage equipment and resources ahead of the storm.

“Hurricanes are among the most disruptive events our communities face. We’ve all seen the damage these powerful storms can inflict on our communities and understand that getting the power restored quickly is critical to supporting recovery efforts,” said Roy Jones, CEO of ElectriCities, a non-profit organization that serves public power communities in North Carolina and beyond. “We will continue to coordinate closely with local, state and federal government officials as the storm approaches.”

Two advantages that benefit public power communities during hurricanes and other storms:

• Experienced crews of local lineworkers that are standing ready to restore power quickly and safely. The local nature of public power means that lineworkers are always nearby and ready to begin recovery efforts as soon as it is safe to do so.
• An emergency assistance network that leverages the resources of 150+ public power communities. With a coordinated network of emergency support, public power communities can effectively direct restoration efforts to those areas where they are needed most.

Public power communities have a proven record of getting power restored more quickly than other utilities. Statistics show that public power has an average response time of less than 60 minutes when outages occur and restores power 50% faster than the national average.

Safety Resources

North Carolina’s public power communities are encouraging residents to prepare for the hurricane by gathering emergency supplies, closely following weather reports, and heeding evacuation and other warnings from authorities.

NC Emergency Management reminds residents to secure property in advance of the storm and to avoid flooded and washed-out roads following the storm. DriveNC.gov is a valuable resource for checking driving conditions.

In addition, the ReadyNC mobile app should be downloaded for up-to-date information on preparedness, evacuations, shelters and more.

There are more than 70 public power communities in North Carolina that serve more than 1.2 million people. For information about public power, visit www.electricities.com.