Contact: NOVEC Public Relations, 1-888-335-0500, customerservice@novec.com
NORTHERN VIRGINIA —Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative tree and line crews have reconnected about 34,500 of the 37,000 customers who lost electric service when a massive wind and thunder storm ripped through the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic on Friday night. The storm left trees on houses, cars and power lines as it cut a wide, deadly path. NOVEC’s goal is to have service restored to all customers before July 4.
“We know the thing people without power want to hear is the sound of their air conditioners coming back on,” acknowledges Mike Curtis, NOVEC vice president of public relations. Curtis, who has been without power in his home since the storm, said he can relate to people who are miserable without air conditioning and lighting. “We’ll all be happy when I see the lights and hear the AC.”
Curtis urges customers who don’t have electricity to go to a library, a mall, a movie theater, or somewhere that’s air conditioned while crews work to remove trees off power lines and replace broken utility poles. “We’re working as quickly and safely as we can in difficult conditions.”
The storm reportedly knocked out power in the Washington, D.C., area to more than 2 million people. The storm caused damage everywhere in the region, but Larry Shaffer, NOVEC system operations manager, says some NOVEC neighborhoods in Loudoun County suffered an extra hard blow. “Trees are down all over the place!” Shaffer exclaims. The wind snapped branches and pulled trees out by their roots. We’ve got broken utility poles and lines down that have to be replaced. Multiple tree and line crews made a lot of progress today. With luck, we’ll have almost everyone back online by tomorrow night.”
Line and tree crews from as far away as Georgia drove to Northern Virginia to help NOVEC crews restore power to customers in Fairfax, Fauquier, Prince William and Stafford counties -- as well as in Loudoun County.
Shaffer notes the dangerous work that crews are doing: “Imagine working outdoors when the heat index soars to 110 degrees! If that weren’t bad enough, teams must work with dangerous chainsaws and high-voltage power lines while wearing heavy and hot protective gear. They’ve had to wade into woods of fallen trees, along with poison ivy, snakes, and nasty insects. This is not work for the faint-of-heart. These folks have worked tirelessly overtime to reconnect our customers. They deserve a lot of credit and thanks.”
Customers with Internet access can track restoration progress at http://stormcenter.novec.com/index.cfm.
Curtis warns everyone to heed safety: “Downed power lines and trees touching the lines are extremely dangerous and should never be touched. If anyone sees a downed power line, report its location immediately to NOVEC by calling 703-335-0500 or toll free at 1-888-335-0500.
What to do if Power Goes Out
- Call NOVEC 703-335-0500 or 1-888-335-0500, 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.
- Heat food indoors in a chafing dish or fondue pot over canned fuel.
