Severe Weather Coming: What to Know
Appalachian Power is closely monitoring a weather event expected to bring widespread strong wind gusts and severe thunderstorms to much of Appalachian Power’s service area late Friday through Saturday.
We know you depend on us to keep the power on, and our storm response team is prepared and on alert for the possibility of service restoration work. If widespread outages occur, workers will help repair damage in their regular work locations, and workers in unaffected areas will travel to assist in damaged areas if needed.
We’ll continue to update you as information becomes available. In the meantime, we encourage customers to be prepared should outages occur. Check out the below resources for additional information on how to keep you and your loved ones safe.
Before the Storm
Prepare an Emergency Plan
Make a plan in the event a power outage occurs. Check with those who are elderly, have young children or have medical conditions to ensure they have a plan, especially in the event of an extended power outage.
Charge devices such as phones, laptops, portable chargers and other electronics that will help you stay connected.
Prepare an emergency kit. At a minimum, include non-perishable food, water, a flashlight, batteries, a battery-powered radio, a first-aid kit and necessary medications.
Important Safety Reminders
Remember, all downed lines are dangerous — they carry an electric current that can cause serious or even fatal injuries. Stay away to stay alive. If you encounter a fallen wire, keep yourself and others away from it and anything it may be touching, and call 1-800-956-4237 or 911 immediately.
If you plan to use an alternate heat source, ensure it is in good working order and follow all safety precautions. Never operate lanterns, heaters, fuel-fired stoves or burn charcoal without proper ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning and fires.
If you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug the generator into your circuit box.
Additional safety tips are posted at AppalachianPower.com/Safety.
Make sure you’re signed up to receive outage alerts and updates:
You can also track and report outages with the Appalachian Power mobile app.
