BrightRidge prepares for outages after heavy rain, flooding across region

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – BrightRidge is preparing for outages after heavy rainfall in the Tri-Cities region.

News Channel reached out to the company to ask about storm preparation.

Tim Whaley with BrightRidge said the company had contracted several additional crews to stand by and prepare for Friday’s projected storm .

BrightRidge continues to make preparations for continuing stormy conditions and high winds as tropical weather is anticipated to impact the region through at least this weekend, with the highest risk currently projected for tomorrow. BrightRidge retains more than 30-line crews in both its service and construction divisions, as well as an additional eight contracted line crews provided by Pike Electric and 7 contracted tree and vegetation service crews from Kendall Services. As the region has already seen numerous smaller outages due to widely scattered tree fall from overly saturated ground, BrightRidge fully expects a high potential for additional scattered service disruptions with further rainfall and high winds.

As always, BrightRidge warns customers and the traveling public to be alert for potential flash flooding, fallen trees and power lines. Never attempt to touch, handle or move fallen power lines. Immediately contact BrightRidge through the SmartHub mobile and desktop application or phone BrightRidge at 423-952-5000 if you spot infrastructure damage. Also, persons who have medical device charging considerations should fully prepare for potential storm impacts by securing additional batteries or develop alternative device charging plans. BrightRidge does provide system updates through its Facebook and social media accounts as possible, however outages or fallen lines should only be reported through SmartHub or by phone call.

Tim Whaley, BrightRidge

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