COHASSET—Summer is well underway and with it can come damaging storms. These weather events can cause destruction to electrical systems—especially in rural Minnesota where trees are plentiful and often at the mercy of high winds and saturated grounds.
Lake Country Power is ready for storm season. Co-op crews, dispatchers and support staff are always ready to work extended hours. The co-op keeps a supply of extra utility poles, wire, transformers and other necessary equipment needed for restoration work. When widespread outages happen, multiple crews are assigned to assess the damage, coordinate materials, and make repairs. All of this can take time in remote and heavily damaged locations, but crews always start by making repairs that will restore power to the greatest number of people in the shortest time possible.
“Every major outage is different; we don’t know what the conditions are for each outage in terms of damaged infrastructure, access, and down lines and trees, until crews arrive on the scene.
“When responding to outages, the first thing we need to do is assess the conditions at each site and determine what materials are needed to restore electric service, starting with the outages that impact the largest number of members. Crews work from the substation, then to the main three-phase feeders, followed by single-phase lines, and ultimately down to the single taps,” said Derek Howe, chief operating officer, Ph.D., PE (MN).
Lake Country Power and the Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends the following items as a starting point for storm and disaster preparedness, but you can visit www.ready.gov for additional information.
• Water (one gallon per person per day, for several days)
• Food (three-day supply of non-perishables such as canned goods, energy bars, peanut butter, powdered milk, instant coffee, dried foods, nuts, etc.)
• Sanitation and hygiene supplies such as towelettes, soap, hand sanitizer, diapers and toiletries
• Flashlights, batteries, a manual can opener and portable, battery-operated radio or TV
• Portable charging banks or battery-operated phone chargers
• First aid kit with pain relievers, bandages and other medical essentials
• Prescriptions
• Extra pet food
If you have a medical condition that requires electrical equipment, always have a backup plan in place. This could include a portable generator, extra medical supplies, or temporarily moving to an alternate location.
In the event of a prolonged power outage, turn off major appliances, TVs, computers and other sensitive electronics. This will help avert damage from a power surge and will also help prevent overloading the circuits during power restoration. That said, do leave one light on so you know when the power is restored. If you plan to use a small generator, make sure it’s rated to handle the amount of power you will need, and always review the manufacturer’s instructions to operate it safely.
Avoid downed power lines and walking through flooded areas where power lines could be submerged. Allow ample room for co-op crews to safely perform their jobs, including on your property.
Lake Country Power does not monitor Facebook for outage reporting, so messages can go unnoticed when reported on social media. Instead, members are encouraged to report any power outages through their SmartHub account or by calling 800-421-9959. For more information about SmartHub, visit www.lakecountrypower.coop.
The cooperative’s outage map can be found online at http://outage.lcp.coop.
Lake Country Power, www.lakecountrypower.coop, is a Touchstone Energy® cooperative serving parts of eight counties in northeastern Minnesota. The rural electric cooperative provides services to more than 44,000 members and has offices located in Cohasset, Kettle River and Mountain Iron.
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