Dominion Energy prepares for emergencies amid Hurricane Debby; outlines outage response

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Forecasters predict Hurricane Debby will bring historic heavy rainfall to the Southeast, and Dominion Energy is preparing for the storm.

Paul Fischer, Strategic Communications Advisor for Dominion Energy, says they are working around the clock and stand ready to respond to emergencies. He adds Dominion Energy has crews, vehicles and equipment staged across its service territory in South Carolina.

According to Dominion Energy, they have already worked to secure additional line workers and contract resources from out of state to mobilize and stage along the coast. Officials say they are staged in areas predicted to be the most severe.

“So all hands on deck right now, we’re working to secure approximately an additional 200 [workers], that number will continue to move forward as we see the impacts we’re able to move those resources all across the service territories, to areas where the outages or the impacts are the most severe,” said Paul Fischer.

When asked how soon outages can be assets, Fischer says Dominion Energy works year-round to safeguard its system from hazardous and dangerous vegetation. This will enable clearance around the powerlines so that they can operate as quickly as possible to restore power.

“Every storm is different – of course here we are dealing with the potential for severe rain and flooding, sometimes that can also limit access for our crews. But we want our customers to know that we are working even when you don’t see our trucks in the neighborhood,” Fischer added.

Dominion Energy says that its technology and investments in its system allow it to remotely switch power back on depending on the circumstance, without them physically being there.

In cases of down powerlines, Dominion Energy urges people to always assume the line is energized. People should stay away from downed powerlines and immediately report it to Dominion Energy so they can secure it.

To report an outage, visit the Dominion Energy website, here .

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