By Rick Lemonds, president & CEO
If you’ve been new car shopping in the last few years, maybe, like me, you were somewhat surprised and dazzled about how much has changed about cars in the last decade or so. Cars have gone from knobs and switches to touchscreens. From CD players to Bluetooth and “Apple Car Play.” But one of the biggest surprises I have seen is the disappearance of the spare tire in some newer makes and models.
To me, the spare tire is something that I hope I never use — but it gives me peace of mind to know I have it available in the event of an emergency. Some newer cars come with pumps or repair kits, and some come from the factory with “run flat tires” so you can keep going, even with a flat. So even if your car doesn’t come with a “spare tire,” it does come with a plan for safety in the event of a tire-related emergency.
When I think about the spare tire in my trunk, I can’t help but think about all the ways we at South Central Power prepare for possible emergency scenarios. Yes, we have equipment in our vehicles, including spare tires, but also first aid kits and even Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) so we can help coworkers or members of the public in the event of a medical emergency. But beyond our fleet of vehicles, we have spare poles, transformers and other equipment on-hand ready for an emergency. Just as importantly, we have a plan to address different scenarios — how we activate and sustain our workforce (and contractors when needed), business continuity plans, and countless other plans and provisions that we hope to never enact, but occasionally do.
It’s important that your cooperative has plans in place for emergencies, and we do. But it is also important that each of us in our own private lives have emergency supplies, and a plan for how to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe in the event of an emergency.
September is National Preparedness Month. It’s a time at South Central Power where we highlight the plans we make year-round to be prepared, but we also like to encourage our members to take advantage of resources to prepare for themselves.
We encourage you to visit the Outage Center on our website and click on “Disaster Readiness” to get some helpful information about how to prepare for natural disasters, from severe weather to other kinds of emergency situations.
Below are a few tips and ideas from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to get you started. Thanks for reading, and we hope these resources are helpful to you and your loved ones.
Disaster prep kit ideas:
- Water and nonperishable food
- Flashlight and spare batteries
- NOAA weather alert radio
- First aid kit
- Maps and tools
- Cell phone chargers and backup power
From the September 2025 issue of Ohio Cooperative Living.