Media Advisory

Walton EMC Urges Customers to Prepare for Hurricane Dennis

For Immediate Release
July 8, 2005

Contact Greg Brooks, 770/266-2307, or Katie Woodall, 770/266-2572

MONROE, Ga. – Possible tropical storm winds from Hurricane Dennis combined with already saturated soils could lead to power outages this weekend. Walton Electric Membership Corporation urges all electric customers to prepare. Check these areas to see if you're ready:

•Light - Secure flashlights, battery-powered lanterns and extra batteries. It's best to avoid light sources that require a flame or fire.

•Water - If you depend on a well, you need to fill bathtubs or other large containers for household use, like flushing toilets. Fill clean pitchers or jugs for drinking water. If you have livestock or poultry, secure a stand-by generator to run the well.

If you’re on a community water system, listen for advisories to boil water in case water treatment plants are affected.

•Food - Nonperishable foods that don't need cooking are ideal, like canned fruit, powdered milk, peanut butter, bread and crackers. Don't forget a manual can opener!

•Information - Get a portable radio or TV with extra batteries for local information and a NOAA Weather Radio for weather warnings. A wind-up or battery powered alarm clock might come in handy. Cordless phones don't work without power, so have at least one wired phone available. Remember to charge your cell phone.

For background information on power outages and the current status of outages, click here.

If power goes out, take steps to protect your family and property:

•Limit freezer and refrigerator door openings. Food will keep longer if doors remain closed. Check items for spoilage before serving. Don't cook inside with charcoal.

•Turn off all large appliances that come on automatically, like electric water heaters and air conditioners. Make sure appliances you were using when the outage occurred, like ovens, stoves, irons or power tools are turned off.

•Disconnect sensitive electronics like TVs, VCRs and computers to avoid damage from surges.

•When the power comes back on, give the electric system a chance to stabilize by gradually using the appliances you turned off. Use only the most essential first and wait 15 minutes on the others, including water and space heating.

Pay attention to electrical safety during outages:

•If you use a portable generator, isolate it from our lines. Generators that are not isolated can feed back into our electrical system and possibly electrocute anyone coming in contact with those wires. If you don't have a double throw transfer switch installed, plug appliances directly into the generator using a properly sized extension cord.

•Don't try to remove or clear trees tangled in power lines.

•Stay away from any downed lines (no matter what type) and call your power company or 911.

•Do not touch a power line with any other object (brooms, boards, plastic, etc.) and do not touch any object in contact with a power line (car, tree limb, person, etc.).

Walton EMC is a customer-owned power company that serves 110,000 accounts over its ten-county service area between Atlanta and Athens.