Blue Ridge Electric Prepares for Ice Wednesday Night
For Immediate Release
Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383 ext. 3213; Pager: 1-800-471-1323; or E-mail: Renee Whitener
Lenoir, North Carolina (December 14, 2005) –Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation is monitoring a predicted ice storm scheduled to hit western North Carolina tonight and employees are making preparations for timely power restoration in the event outages are caused by the storm.
Employees are on standby status and are ready to respond if ice on lines and trees cause power outages overnight or Thursday morning. Linemen are also topping off fuel supplies in vehicles and checking equipment such as chainsaws to remove fallen trees blocking roadways. In addition, crews are checking tools, equipment and other supplies necessary for outage restoration.
If members experience an outage, the fastest way to report it is by calling the cooperative’s Powerline—an automated outage reporting system—at 1-800-448-2383. Or contact one of the local offices for Blue Ridge Electric: Watauga County: 264-8894; Caldwell County: 754-9071; Ashe County: 246-7138; Alleghany County: 372-4646, and Wilkes County: 838-4655. The cooperative is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In the event of outages, Blue Ridge Electric’s Customer Service Center also brings in staff throughout the duration of the storm.
For safety, Blue Ridge Electric reminds the public to stay away from downed power lines since they can be dangerous or even deadly. If a power line is lying on the ground, or if a tree falls on a line, STAY AWAY!! Contact Blue Ridge Electric Always assume the line is energized.
For more severe weather preparedness tips, visit www.BlueRidgeEMC.com.
Blue Ridge Electric serves some 68,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties as well as parts of Wilkes, Alexander and Avery counties.
Back to Top
