Weather disaster: Do you know what to do?

As our area exits peak tornado season and heads into hurricane season, now is a good time to think about weather disasters. Not only is it smart to prepare for a disaster, it’s also handy to know what to do if one hits.

GET READY

• Protect your home and individual appliances with good quality surge protectors.
• If you have a generator, have a licensed electrician install a transfer switch to prevent accidentally energizing Walton EMC’s electric system. Test your generator monthly. *Georgia law requires the use of a transfer switch to connect a generator to a building’s electrical system.
• Have an electrician install ground fault circuit interrupters anywhere water is near electrical outlets or appliance use.
• Get uninterruptible power supplies to protect computer systems from critical data loss.
• Watch our video on outage preparation (video below).

IF A DISASTER OCCURS

• Stay away from any downed utility line. You can’t tell if a power line is energized just by looking. Communications lines can also be energized if they’re tangled in power lines.
• Use generators safely. Operate generators in open spaces, away from buildings. Don’t connect generators to the electrical system using haphazard methods.
• Don’t use electrical devices that have been wet until they’ve been inspected by a qualified person.
• Never use electric appliances or touch wires, switches or electrical panels if you’re wet or standing in water.
• Contact a licensed, experienced electrician for an inspection and repairs.

If your power does go out, we are available 24/365. Outages can be reported on our website, the Walton EMC app or by calling 770.267.2505 (option 1).