NOVEC Preparing for Sunday's Winter Weather

Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative is preparing for sleet and snow that weather forecasters say could reach Northern Virginia on Sunday.

“Wet snow and ice are the worst for power lines and trees, but we’ll be ready for them,” Larry Shaffer, vice president, System Operations said. “All NOVEC and contract crews are preparing to work around the clock to restore electric service if the storm causes trees and branches to fall on power lines and knock out power.”

Shaffer said crews are fueling utility trucks and loading them with extra equipment. Damage assessors are preparing to work with tree crews to locate trees and branches that fall on power lines. And NOVEC’s System Operations Center will have all hands on deck.

Furthermore, Shaffer warns customers to stay away from downed power lines.

“If you see a line that’s down, assume it’s energized and deadly. Keep others far away and report it to us immediately at 703-335-0500 or 1-888-335-0500,” he said.

Customers who lose power during the storm should report the outage to NOVEC.

“Customer service representatives may answer the phone, but our automated interactive voice response system works faster because it sends us a message immediately and it will provide updates,” he said.

Customers with access to the Internet can report outages at www.novec.com on computers and www.novec.com/mobile on smartphones. They can also use NOVEC’s smartphone application available at http://www.novec.com/contact_us/apps.cfm.

Shaffer advises customers to:

• Open freezers and refrigerators only when necessary.
• Open exterior doors only when necessary.
• Run portable generators, camp stoves, or grills only outdoors to avoid carbon- monoxide poisoning.