Contact: NOVEC Public Relations, 1-888-335-0500, customerservice@novec.com
NORTHERN VIRGINIA — Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative crews have less than 15 customers without power after Hurricane Irene blew through the area on Saturday night and Sunday morning. NOVEC estimates that these customers will have service restored by Sunday night.
“Our crews went to work as soon as we received the first outage reports around 2 p.m. on Saturday,” explains Mike Curtis, NOVEC vice president of public relations. “We had 3,950 customers without power at the height of the storm, but after a long night of working in heavy rain and strong winds, our crews had restored service to about 2,000 of these customers by 6:30 a.m. We’ve made good progress today and we expect to have service restored to every Co-op member by tonight.”
Curtis says NOVEC will keep some crews on standby in case more Co-op customers lose power. “The ground is soaked,” notes Curtis. “Tree roots could give way and cause more trees to fall on power lines. We may also have strong gusts of wind that could cause additional damage.”
Curtis reminds everyone to stay away from downed power lines. “If you see a tree on the ground, don’t try to move it without making sure there isn’t a power line under it. Assume a line is energized and deadly. Call NOVEC at 703-335-0500 or 1-888-335-0500 immediately.”
What to do if Power Goes Out
- Call NOVEC, or report the outage online at www.novec.com if you have computer access. The Outage Center provides estimated times for service restoration.
- Open freezers and refrigerators only when necessary.
- ONLY use portable generators, camp stoves, or grills outdoors to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Alternatively, heat food in a chafing dish or fondue pot over canned fuel.
