Special to IFN
EnergyUnited crews are working to restore power outages and assessing damage from Tropical Storm Debby as the storm continues to move through the cooperative’s service area.
Flooding and strong winds have resulted in downed trees, power lines and more than 20 broken poles.
Thousands of members were without power on Thursday, and the cooperative is expecting power restoration efforts to continue through Friday. Twenty-one additional crews from four electric cooperatives and three contractors are supporting EnergyUnited’s restoration efforts.
Some 740 EnergyUnited customers in Iredell County — less than 3 percent of the cooperative’s members — were without power on Thursday afternoon.
“We strongly encourage our members to prioritize their safety while the tropical storm continues to move through our service area,” said Steve McCachern, vice president of energy delivery for EnergyUnited. “Please avoid any unnecessary travel and stay off the roads to protect yourself and to allow power restoration efforts to proceed safely.”
Outage Reporting and Restoration
♦ To report an outage, please use the cooperative’s web or mobile app, My EnergyHub, or call 1-800-EUNITED (1-800-386-4833).
♦ Real-time outage numbers can be found on our Outage Map.
♦ After a major storm passes, EnergyUnited prioritizes its response to the largest outages to restore power to all members as safely and quickly as possible. To learn more about our steps to restoring power, please visit www.energyunited.com/restoring-power/.
Safety Reminders
♦ It is crucial to stay away from all downed power lines. Always assume that any line you see, on the ground or overhead, is energized and deadly. Floodwaters may carry electrical currents from downed power lines, making standing water extremely dangerous. Please call our Member Support Center at 1-800-522-3793 to report such safety hazards.
♦ Never use a portable generator indoors due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Portable generators should only be used in well-ventilated areas, when necessary to power essential equipment.
♦ Please avoid travel if possible during the storm and steer clear of unsafe roads. Crews will work to restore power to all members as safely and quickly as possible.
About EnergyUnited
EnergyUnited Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) is the largest electric cooperative in North Carolina with 141,540 member connections. Headquartered in Statesville, EnergyUnited provides electric service in portions of 19 counties in west central North Carolina which include Alexander, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stokes, Wilkes and Yadkin. Visit energyunited.com to learn more about the cooperative’s energy services and community programs.