North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives Encourage Residents to Prepare for 2014 Hurricane Season

RALEIGH, N.C., June 2, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- North Carolina's electric cooperatives join Gov. Pat McCrory in encouraging North Carolinians to be prepared for this year's hurricane season, which runs from June 1 – Nov. 30. A reliable plan is your best defense against a major storm, and the cooperatives offer these tips to keep you safe this storm season:

• Develop an evacuation route in advance. The plan should identify the safest routes and closest shelters.
• Create a family disaster supply kit and be sure to include the following: a battery operated radio, flashlights, a first aid kit, non-perishable food items, a three-day water supply, a non-electric can opener, medicines and cash.
• Teach children to call 911 in case of an emergency. Communicate with family members to be sure they know how to respond in a storm situation.
• Remember your pets when planning for possible evacuation. Not all emergency shelters allow pets. Contact your local humane society to learn which animal shelters accept pets during disasters.
• Keep your electric cooperative's outage reporting phone number in a handy place, like on the refrigerator.

You cannot prevent hurricanes, but you can minimize damage to your home and injury to your family by gathering supplies, preparing your home and planning for a possible storm before the hurricane season starts.

All of North Carolina's electric cooperative line crews are experienced and prepared to restore power as quickly and safely as possible if outages should occur as a result of severe weather. Of the state's 26 electric cooperatives, 14 are located east of I-95 with six serving coastal communities. In the event of a major storm, crews from unaffected electric cooperatives in and out of our state will be dispatched to hard-hit areas to expedite the restoration process.

If you experience an outage this storm season, call your electric cooperative's outage reporting phone number. The cooperatives know that North Carolinians depend on electricity for their everyday lives, and crews will work quickly to return power to you should outages occur.

North Carolina's electric cooperatives provide energy to 2.5 million people in 93 of 100 counties, primarily in rural parts of the state. The electric cooperatives own and maintain 95,000 miles of power lines.

SOURCE North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives