The Enlightener
Jan 2003
Be Prepared Before a Storm Hits
Power outages can occur during and after a snow or ice storm if lines are damaged. The following safety tips will help you be prepared, safe, and more comfortable if an outage occurs.
Prepare an emergency kit including:
- Battery powered radio
- A flashlight
- Additional batteries
- Bottled water and canned food, with a manual can opener
- Candles and matches
- First-Aid kit
- Extra blankets and quilts
Include an emergency telephone list to contact the police, fire department, hospital, Blue Ridge Electric, and local emergency management offices if needed. And remember cordless phones don't work without power.
Protect your belongings. If you are at home and your area is under weather alert for severe storms, shut off or unplug any sensitive electronic equipment such as TVs and computers to protect them from power surges.
If you are experiencing a power outage . . .
Verify if you are the only one in your neighborhood without power. If so, check your breaker box to make sure all breakers are in the ON position. If you still don't have power, call Blue Ridge Electric at any of the numbers listed on the back of this newsletter to report the outage.
Make sure to turn off all appliances, especially any heat-producing electric equipment such as electric stoves and ovens. Leave one light fixture on so you'll know when power is restored.
Keep candles away from furniture, curtains, or any other flammable material. Never leave children alone in a room with a burning candle or open flame.
Never try to use gas stoves, charcoal or briquette grills or camp stoves to heat your home. They are designed to be used only outdoors where there is enough ventilation due to the amount of toxic fumes they produce. If you use them indoors, you will rapidly eliminate the amount of oxygen in your house and increase the carbon monoxide inside your home. Carbon monoxide causes serious intoxication problems and even death.
If you are outside . . .
Stay away from any downed lines including power, telephone or cable. Do not touch any object that is in contact with downed power lines and can transmit electricity such as water, metal, etc.
Never drive your car over power lines. If a power line falls over your car while you are driving, stay inside your car until you receive appropriate help.
Blue Ridge Electric reports outage updates to the following stations:
Lenoir
- WKVS - 103.3 FM
- WJRI - 1340 AM
- WKGX - 1080 AM
- WYCV - 900 AM
Boone
- WATA - 1450 AM & 100.7 FM
- WECR - 102.3 FM
- WXII - 1200 AM
- MTN
West Jefferson
- WKSK - 580 AM
- WMMY - 106.1 FM
Sparta
North Wilkesboro
- WKBC - 97.3 FM & 800 AM
- WWWC - 1240 AM
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Members Only News
-For Members of Blue Ridge Electric
Bright Ideas Rewarded
Supporting local education is the mission of Blue Ridge Electric's Bright Ideas program. Blue Ridge Electric recently awarded more that $17,000 in Bright Ideas grants to 19 local educators for learning projects that will benefit thousands of students in our area.
Blue Ridge Electric Bright Idea grants recipients are:
Alleghany County
- Pamela J. Braley of Glade Creek Elementary
- Judy Talley and Frankye Edwards of Glade Creek Elementary
- Patti Cox of Piney Creek Elementary
- Missey R. Weaver of Sparta Elementary
Ashe County
- Cathy Shepherd, who serves all of Ashe County's elementary schools
- Shera Ashley of Ashe County Middle
- Rick Gardner of Mountain View Elementary
- Dana Johnson of Ashe County Middle
- Theresa Church of Mountain View Elementary
- Pat Kincheloe Morrison of Ashe County High
Watauga County
- Robin Ebaugh of Parkway Elementary
- Roberta Myers-Edminsten of Valle Crucis Elementary
- Debbie Eggers of Cove Creek Elementary
- Mary Kent Whitaker of Blowing Rock School
Caldwell County
- Shawn Moore of William Lenoir Middle
- Libby Huff of Granite Falls Middle
- Ann Matthews of West Lenoir Elementary
- Ben Willis of Collettsville Elementary
- Andrea Gatwood of Sawmills Elementary
Visit www.BlueRidgeEMC.com for more information on Bright Ideas grants.
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The Perspective
An Editorial by Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson
Locally Owned, Operated
When you hear the word "local," do you think of your power provider? You should if you're receiving this newsletter in your monthly power statement. You see, you are a member-owner of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, a not-for-profit electric cooperative delivering electricity to people in northwest North Carolina.
Being owned by the consumers we serve keeps us focused on your needs and priorities. It also means we conduct business through a locally electric board of directors and an annual meeting where members come to be heard and take part in their cooperative. We also encourage participation through member representatives making up our local Member Advisory Committees (MAC). It's the "people part" - the personal involvement and grassroots activities - that characterizes what electric cooperatives are all about.
Why is being locally owned and operated so important? Because more and more we hear reports of other companies closing their local offices and moving out of town in order to save money. And when that happens, their customers have to do business long distance, frequently talking to customer service representatives hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles away who don't know them, their families, or even their communities.
Your local electric cooperative is different. Our first obligation is to our consumers, because you are the owners. You can still stop by our local offices and talk to someone you know about any part of your service. And when you call your electric cooperative, you'll speak to someone close by who knows your community and what's happening in it. You can rest assured that we're connected to our consumers by much more than power lines because we're not only your power provider, we're your neighbors.
The staff of Blue Ridge Electric also understands that paying attention to the details and the little things is important. That's the added benefit of being served by a local electric cooperative. And that's why we'll continue doing everything we can to help improve the quality of life of the people we serve and demonstrating our commitment to providing each and every one of our member-owners with superior service and reliability.
Published monthly by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation for its 52,027 members.
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