Before a storm arrives: follow these precautions to protect your home and family:
- Listen to weather forecasts every day so you will know when high winds or heavy snow or ice are expected.
- Keep Adams Electric's toll-free power outage number handy: 1-800-726-2324.
- Have contact information for other household members readily available.
- Consider all downed power lines and anything touching them as energized and dangerous.
- Make sure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working. Replace them every 10 years, vacuum them frequently and replace the batteries at least twice a year. Carbon monoxide detectors should have audible alarms.
- Become familiar with alternate safe routes from home, work and schools.
- Keep vehicles in good repair and gas tanks filled.
- Winterize your house or any structure that may provide shelter. Check and repair the roof, doors and windows. Inspect the structural ability of the roof to withhold the heavy weight of accumulated snow.
- Use surge protectors so your computer and other sensitive electronic equipment are not damaged. Adams Electric provides a line of surge protection equipment.
- Create back-up copies of all important information on your computer.
- Have your heating unit checked and serviced.
- For your safety and the safety of our crews, please be aware of all service vehicles parked along roadways and service repair sites. In the event you have any outage questions or would like to report downed lines please notify our call center. Directing these issues to a service lineman at a repair site will slow the restoration process.
- During severe conditions:
- At home: Identify a safe place in the house, at the lowest level, preferably a basement. Choose a small room, away from windows, and stay near the room's center. Close all doors around you and keep your head covered.
- Outside: Hurry to a sturdy, nearby structure; lie flat in a ditch or other low-lying area, and keep your head covered.
- In all cases, stay calm and if necessary have a plan to move yourself and your family to an alternate location in case evacuation is required.