Dominion Cautions: Despite a Weakened Isabel,
Extensive Power Outages Likely
RICHMOND, Va. - Dominion Virginia Power cautioned customers
Wednesday that despite being downgraded, Hurricane Isabel will be forceful enough
to uproot trees, sway power lines and snap utility poles, causing widespread
power outages.
"Although Isabel is now weaker than it was earlier this
week, she's still very powerful and is predicted to strike the heart of our
service area," said Jimmy D. Staton, senior vice president-Operations.
"The company expects a significant number of lengthy outages from tree
damage, broken poles and downed power lines. We will begin restoration activities
as soon as we safely can."
Hurricane Isabel was a Category 2 hurricane Wednesday morning
with winds of 96 to 110 mph. Excessive winds, combined with the saturated ground
across Dominion's service area, are likely to cause extensive tree damage and,
in turn, damage to the company's distribution system.
Dominion has amassed a restoration workforce of 7,000, including
Dominion line crews, contractors and line crews from seven southeastern utility
companies. Out-of-state crews began arriving Wednesday at staging areas across
Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.
Additionally, the company is taking preventative measures
to protect its employees and equipment. On Tuesday, the company placed sandbags
at four electric substations in flood-prone areas in Hampton Roads and the Outer
Banks. Also, the company used its automated phone system to call about 10,000
medical alert customers and urge them to make alternative arrangements for care
in advance of any possible outages. On Wednesday, company employees took a 45-minute
"timeout" to discuss safe work practices during restoration.
Isabel is expected to make landfall late Thursday morning
along North Carolina's Outer Banks. It is predicted to then churn slightly northeast,
through Southeastern Virginia, over Richmond and into Northern Virginia. Hurricane
Isabel's enormous size is expected to affect nearly all of Dominion's service
area.
Dominion reminds its customers to call toll free 1-888-667-3000
to report outages or downed lines. The company also reminds customers
to stay away from downed
power lines. The company's outage reporting system can handle 100,000 calls
an hour. Using the system's voice response unit is the quickest way to report
an outage or downed power lines.
Dominion urges its customers to pay attention to weather reports
and, if Hurricane Isabel's storms near, take common-sense steps to prepare for
possible outages:
Have a good supply of fresh batteries for flashlights,
clocks and radios.
Have several gallons of freshwater on hand. This is especially
important for those who rely on well water.
If you normally wash your clothes on the weekend, do them
earlier this week before the storm.
Have a good supply of canned and other non-refrigerated
foods available.
Make sure prescription medications are filled.
If the power goes out, turn off major appliances such as
heat pumps, water heaters and stoves. Unplug other appliances such as TV's,
stereos, microwaves, and computers. This will prevent damage to the appliance
and possible overloads to the company's system when power is restored.
Disconnect cable lines from TVs and stereos and phone lines
from computers. This will prevent lightning damage to these expensive items.
Leave one lamp or light on so you can tell when power is
restored.
Open refrigerators and freezers as little as possible to
keep contents cold.
If using portable or camp-type stoves or lanterns for cooking
and lighting, make sure the area is adequately ventilated.
Do not hook portable generators directly to the electrical
system of your home. Electricity could backfeed into power lines endangering
repair crews. Either have a qualified electrician perform that work or plug
directly into the generator with the proper-sized extension cords.
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy,
with a portfolio consisting of 24,000 megawatts of generation, 6.1 trillion
cubic feet equivalent of natural gas reserves, 7,900 miles of natural gas transmission
pipeline and more than 960 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. Dominion
also serves 5 million retail energy customers in nine states. Additional information
about Dominion is available on the Internet at www.dom.com.
