BrightRidge prepared for winter storm; urges customers to prepare as well
CIUDAD DE JOHNSON – With 3-6 inches of snow predicted for the region through Saturday afternoon, BrightRidge is closely monitoring Winter Storm Cora, which will impact much of the service area.
“Our crews have completed rigorous checks on all equipment, including chains and other winter-readiness tools,” BrightRidge Chief Operations Officer Rob Arnold said. “To support rapid response efforts, we have activated our network of business partners, ensuring our team is ready to tackle storm-related challenges.”
BrightRidge retains eight Pike crews to assist with construction and restoration, as well as seven Kendall Vegetation Services crew to maintain power line easements and assist with tree removal during storm events. These teams support BrightRidge’s 14 in-house service and construction crews.
In addition, BrightRidge engineering, metering, warehouse, customer service and marketing teams are prepared to mobilize as well, streamlining restoration efforts and keeping customers informed.
“BrightRidge remains committed to working around the clock to restore power in the event of outages,” BrightRidge CEO Jeff Dykes said. “However, severe weather conditions will impact response times. Our top priorities beyond safety focus first on restoring power to critical community infrastructure including hospitals, nursing homes, fire and police departments, and water/sewer infrastructure.”
After that, overall restoration efforts progress from larger outages to smaller ones. This means work will center first on restoring power to substations and working outward from there into communities and then finally restoring smaller, individual neighborhood outages, which are often the most time consuming of any restoration effort.
Understanding Snow’s Impact on Electric Utilities
The type of snow will significantly influence storm-related outages. Heavy, wet snow sticks to power lines and poles, causing conductor to sag from the accumulated weight, while heavy, wet snow will cause treefall as well as pole breakage, impacting service.
If the region experiences light, fluffy, dry snow there will be fewer system impacts.
BrightRidge has implemented targeted measures such as preemptive vegetation management and tree trimming while advanced metering and control infrastructure speeds up system monitoring, response and restoration.
Safety and Personal Preparedness
We encourage customers to exercise caution and prepare as well. Customers should never approach or attempt to handle downed power lines.
When deploying a home generator, follow manufacturer guidelines, place the unit outdoors well away from windows and doors to avoid potential carbon monoxide poisoning, and be aware of the danger of improper electrical connections, according to Ready.gov.
Conduct a quick inspection of your home, looking to fill any air leaks around doors and windows. Heat loss costs you money on your power bill. Also, keep garage doors closed.
Customers should schedule an annual inspection and tune-up of their home heating system and replace HVAC filters often. Poor airflow due to clogged filters severely impacts performance and will result in using more electricity than necessary.
Create an Emergency Kit with essential supplies such as non-perishable food, water (at least one gallon per person per day), flashlights and extra batteries, a first aid kit, extra blankets and warm clothing as well as medications and pet supplies.
Customers with home medical device charging needs should plan for alternative charging locations, or ensure sufficient batteries, portable chargers or a backup power source.
If you must travel, keep a winter emergency kit in your vehicle, including extra blankets, food, water, and a first-aid kit, according to Ready.gov.
Stay Connected
“We deeply appreciate patience and understanding as we respond in challenging conditions,” Dykes said. “For updates and outage information, visit the outage map at BrightRidge.com and follow BrightRidge on Facebook.”
Please do not report an outage through Facebook. To report an outage, downed line or damaged infrastructure, please use the Hub inteligente mobile and desktop application, or phone us at 423-952-5000. All messages left by phone are reviewed as time permits.
Acerca de BrightRidge
BrightRidge es una empresa eléctrica de propiedad pública que presta servicios a 83.671 clientes en los condados de Washington, Sullivan, Carter y Greene. Es la décima compañía eléctrica local más grande en el área de servicio de la Autoridad del Valle de Tennessee. BrightRidge Broadband, una división de BrightRidge, ofrece servicios de fibra hasta las instalaciones simétrica de 10 GB líderes en el país a más de 30 000 ubicaciones en su área de servicio.