Area Companies Staging Power Restoration Crews Ahead of Hurricane
You may have noticed a steady stream of power company trucks passing through Tuscaloosa and Northport, headed south today. They are crews from Alabama Power, electrical co-ops, and contractor companies from across the south and Midwest headed to staging areas in Tuscaloosa southward in advance of landfall of Hurricane Isaias tomorrow night.
“We’re adjusting work schedules, positioning crews and equipment, and making sure additional resources are ready to go where they’re needed,” an Alabama Power news release stated today. “Our teams prepare for storms like this well before the first raindrops arrive.”
Isaias is forecast to intensify rapidly and bring strong winds and a life-threatening storm surge to Mobile Bay, the Alabama Gulf Coast, Florida Panhandle and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall late Friday or early Saturday morning. High winds could also down trees and power lines as far inland as West Alabama.
Communities along the Gulf Coast and well inland are being cautioned to prepare for potential “long-duration power outages” by the National Weather Service in Mobile and Birmingham.
A Tropical Storm Watch in West Alabama brings concern for many large tree limbs to be broken off along with a few trees snapped or uprooted, especially weaker trees, leading to downed power lines and poles.
A Flood Watch is in effect for all of Central Alabama from 7 PM Friday through 7 AM Sunday leading to other power concerns.
Once the storm passes, Alabama Power and co-op crews will assess damage and begin working to restore power.
Safety is the priority, said Meredith Morgan, a power delivery engineer for Alabama Power was quoted as stating in the release. She says residents should stay away from downed power lines and give crews time to make the area safe before power is restored.
“Stay weather aware, make sure you have multiple ways to receive weather alerts and take time to charge phones and other essential devices before conditions begin to deteriorate,” the release cautioned.
Alabama Power is asking customers to sign up for outage alerts by texting “Enroll” to APCOUT (272688) using a cellphone registered to your Alabama Power account or visit AlabamaPower.com/Alerts.
Outage maps can also be accessed to see outages in your area at OutageMap.AlabamaPower.com.
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Gallery Credit: (Stephen Dethrage | Tuscaloosa Thread)