Spring is here and like many of you, I’m looking forward to more opportunities to be outdoors and enjoy warmer weather. Springtime brings many of my favorite activities — cooking out with family and friends, gardening, and simply slowing down a bit to enjoy life.
Unfortunately, spring and summer can create the perfect conditions for severe storms.
Highline Electric Association crews are always prepared and standing by to respond should power outages occur in our area. When severe storms cause power disruptions, our linecrews take all necessary precautions before they get to work on any downed lines.
I would encourage you to also practice safety and preparedness to protect your family during storms and outages.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends the items below as a starting point for storm and disaster preparedness; visit ready.gov for additional resources.
• Stock your pantry with a three-day supply of nonperishable food, including canned goods, energy bars, peanut butter, powdered milk, instant coffee, water, and other essentials such as diapers.
• Confirm that you have adequate sanitation and hygiene supplies including towelettes, soap, and hand sanitizer.
• Ensure your first aid kit is stocked with pain relievers, bandages, and other medical essentials. Make sure your prescriptions are current.
• Set aside basic household items you will need including flashlights, batteries, a manual can opener, and a portable, battery-powered radio.
• Organize emergency supplies so they are easily accessible in one location.
In the event of a prolonged power outage, turn off major appliances, TVs, computers, and other sensitive electronics. This will help avert damage from potential power surges and will also help prevent overloading circuits during power restoration. That said, do leave one light on so you will know when power is restored.
If you plan to use a portable generator, make sure it’s rated to handle the amount of power you will need. Always review the manufacturer’s instructions to operate it safely.
Listen to local news for storm and emergency information, or sign up for local emergency alerts and warnings. Check Highline Electric’s Facebook page for restoration updates, but do not report outages to us on Facebook. Instead, call our outage reporting number at 970-854-2236 — this is the fastest way to let us know if your power is out.
Severe storms can occasionally bring down power lines. If you see a downed line, always assume it’s energized and never approach it. If flooding occurs, never walk through areas where power lines could be submerged.
Planning for severe storms or other emergencies can reduce stress and anxiety caused by the weather event and lessen the impact of the storm’s effects. I hope we don’t experience severe storms over the spring and summer months, but we can never fully predict Mother Nature’s plans. At Highline, we recommend that you make a plan today — because storm preparedness is always our best defense.
Annual Meeting Recap
Highline Electric thanks everyone who attended the 87th Annual Meeting at the Phillips County Event Center in Holyoke. We had approximately 300 members and guests in attendance the evening of March 25. Attendees enjoyed winning prizes and eating a brisket meal catered by Happy Jack’s located in Holyoke. We’re excited for another great year at Highline Electric. Watch your CCL for next year’s annual meeting date.
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Dennis Herman is the General Manager of Highline Electric Association. HEA’s mission is to provide our members with reliable, high-quality electricity and other needed services, which will improve their economic and social well-being and provide significant long-range benefits for our communities, our state, and our nation.
