Four County EMC Storm Update
October 13th, 2016
Four County EMC's Lee Bain making repairs by boat.Five days after Hurricane Matthew left approximately 29,000 members of Four County EMC without power, 97 percent have service restored. About 150 of the approximately 648 waiting to receive electricity are in flooded areas of Harrells, Ingold and Currie. Even if the area directly around the member is not flooded, the terrain where the repairs are needed may be flooded or washed out.
Crews will continue to monitor these areas closely so repairs can be made as soon as possible. In places, employees and crews assisting have been using boats to get into these areas to survey the situation and make repairs.
The remaining outages, in part, represent individual services that will make progress seem slower. In these cases, the repair teams were able to energize a whole line, but an individual’s house has damage confined only to their individual service. Also, tap lines that serve small groups – 2 or 3 services, are also part of the remaining outages.
We understand those still without power are feeling very frustrated being in the dark for so long. By late tonight, most of Duplin and Pender County should have electricity. Assisting crews working out of the Burgaw and Rose Hill Districts will move to Elizabethtown District to help with repairs in those areas. Restoring power quickly and safely is Four County EMC’s priority.
The cooperative is projecting all services that can be restored will be completed by Friday evening. Services in inaccessible locations and those with damage to their property will be restored as soon as conditions allow.
We thank our members for their patience and many kind words as crews and co-op staff have worked tirelessly and diligently to rebuild after the storm and historic flooding. We will work until lights are back on for all members. Please report outages to 1-888-368-7289.
Get outage updates by checking our real-time system map at www.fourcty.org or follow Four County EMC on Facebook and Twitter.
Safety:
· Never wade into, or drive through, flood water.
· Only use generators and charcoal grills in well-ventilated areas; a garage does not count as a well-ventilated area.
· Never connect a generator directly to a home’s wiring. Instead, use an extension cord to plug lights and appliances into the generator.
· Never touch a downed power line, and remember that sometimes debris can cover fallen lines, making them difficult to spot.
· Stay far away from downed or sagging power lines. Always assume that a power line is energized and potentially deadly.
· Help keep our crews safe. If you see utility crews working on the side of the road, slow down and drive carefully.