Contact: NOVEC Public Relations, 1-888-335-0500, customerservice@novec.com
MANASSAS, Va. — The 2016 Farmers’ Almanac said, “Thunderstorms sweep in” May 20-23 in the Mid-Atlantic region, and “Showers could linger around Pimlico for Preakness Stakes.” Anyone who watched the drenched, muddy Preakness horses and jockeys race on May 21 knew the almanac got it right.
Although the weather predictor isn’t 100 percent correct, it’s worth noting the almanac predicts “a muddy track for the Belmont Stakes” and “big,” “severe,” “violent,” “hefty” and “dangerous” thunderstorms in June, July and August, along with “a hurricane threat along the Atlantic Coast” in mid-August.
With hurricane season beginning June 1, Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative encourages area residents to prepare now for possible power outages from hurricanes, thunderstorms and tornados.
Home Preparation
- Designate the safest shelter location away from windows. A basement bathroom provides extra protection because water pipes reinforce walls. If a family member is disabled, develop an alternative plan. Be prepared to leave a mobile home immediately and seek shelter inside a nearby sturdy building.
- Have an emergency kit ready. Include:
- Flashlights and battery-powered lanterns
- Batteries for flashlights, radios, and cellphones
- NOAA weather radios and other battery- or self-powered radios
- First aid kit
- Non-perishable food, such as peanut butter, crackers and canned tuna fish
- Coolers and ice packs
- Manual can openers
- Fondue pot or chafing dish and canned fuel for heating food
- Matches
- Paper and plastic ware
- Bottled water
- Water storage containers
- Gas or diesel fuel containers
- Fire extinguisher
- Make sure smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors are installed and working properly.
- Store Social Security information; birth certificates; home, car, and life insurance files; and other important documents in a water-proof file box.
- Cordless phones don’t work when power is out. Have a landline phone and/or keep cell phones charged.
- NOVEC customers should post the Co-op’s telephone number — 703-335-0500 or 1-888-335-0500 — in an easy-to-find place, and make sure NOVEC has current phone numbers to expedite outage reporting and restoration.
- If there is time before an imminent tornado, turn off air conditioners and unplug TVs, DVD/ VCR players, microwave oven, and computers to protect them from power surges and lightning strikes.
Taking Cover before a Tornado
- Never try to outrun a tornado on foot or in an automobile. Find shelter inside a sturdy building or lie flat in a culvert or ditch and cover your head with your arms and hands. At home, cover yourself with a mattress. Do not take shelter under a highway overpass or bridge because flying debris could hit you or the structure could collapse.
- If you or family members are in a school, mall, sports stadium, or other public place when a tornado warning is issued, get inside a restroom. If time is short, seek shelter against an interior wall away from windows, or crawl under or near a heavy desk that will support or deflect falling debris. Cover your head with your arms and hands.
What to Do if a Power Outage Occurs
- Call NOVEC. If you have access to www.novec.com, click on the outage map for updates, or use NOVEC’s mobile app.
- Stay away from downed power lines and poles, and the area around them. Notify NOVEC or call 911 immediately. Metal storm debris hiding energized power lines can electrocute anyone who comes in contact with the debris.
- Use flashlights or lanterns instead of candles. If you use candles, keep them away from children and flammable household furnishings.
- Open freezers and refrigerators only when necessary.
- Use a portable generator, camp stove, or charcoal grill outdoors ONLY to prevent deadly carbon-monoxide fumes indoors.
For more storm and power-outage information, go to www.novec.com/outageinfo.
