The Federal Emergency Management Agency recognizes September as National Preparedness Month. Timed to coincide with the peak of hurricane season, it’s a helpful annual reminder to get ready for the possibility of a natural disaster. But in the utility business, we know that disasters don’t follow a calendar. They can strike on any day of the year, often when we least expect it. The need to prepare doesn’t begin and end in September, even if that’s when we talk about it most.
Just ask our members in Sunfish Township and the surrounding communities of Pike County. In the early morning hours of Thursday, June 18, a storm system spawned an EF-2 tornado with winds peaking at 115 mph. It carved a path roughly 9 miles long and 250 yards wide. Like many of the areas we serve, this is a close-knit rural community of small farms and businesses tucked among rolling, forested hills.
When high winds and heavy rain meet hills and trees, the results are often severe, and this storm was no exception. Thankfully, there were no fatalities or serious injuries. But the property damage was significant, including the near-total destruction of our transmission and distribution poles and lines around the small community of Elm Grove. The volunteer fire department and many nearby structures were damaged as well. None of that stopped local officials from helping their neighbors, and it didn’t stop our crews from rebuilding, even though the work took several days.
We’re deeply grateful to our members for their patience and support in the days that followed. It’s humbling to watch someone who has lost the roof over their own home step outside and ask, “How can we help?” Neighbors offered food and drinks. The fire department closed roads so our crews could work safely. The community came together in a powerful show of strength. Some families are still rebuilding, long after the power came back on. This storm is a lasting reminder of a phrase many of us learned early in life: Be prepared.
As a utility, we prepare by keeping crews on call around the clock and by stocking the equipment and supplies needed to restore power quickly. We encourage you to prepare, too. For many, that means keeping a simple disaster supply kit on hand. If you or a family member has medical or other needs that make an extended outage dangerous, your plan should go further. Is there somewhere you can stay until power returns? Would a backup generator make sense for your home?
Our website can help. Log into your online account and confirm we have your current email address and cell phone number, so we can reach you with real-time updates. While you’re there, review our generator safety guidelines and connection requirements, which help protect the line workers restoring your power. Our live outage map shows where outages are and tracks our progress. FEMA’s ready.gov website is another excellent resource.
We hope you never face a major disaster, but it’s always better to have a plan you never need than to need one you don’t have. If we can help as you prepare, visit us online or give us a call.
By Rick Lemonds, president and CEO
From the September issue of Ohio Cooperative Living