By Dave Timmons, District Two Commissioner
I can’t believe that the calendar has already changed to October. We say it every year, but this year has passed by very fast. The hot weather that dried out the county for the past 4 months will soon just be a memory as the fall and winter weather brings the rain that we desperately need to replenish our streams and rivers and end the fire season that has been so devastating throughout Washington.
Weather forecasters are calling for an El Nino winter, which means wind, rain, and slightly warmer temperatures. With the rain, comes wind storms that will roll off the ocean and pass through the county. Unfortunately, 1 of the consequences of those storms is the high wind that can bring down trees and large branches onto our electrical power lines, causing power outages.
None of us like it when we lose power to our homes or businesses, especially on a cold winter day, but when you live on the coast, it’s inevitable. Even the strongest and best built system can fall victim to the effects of a strong windstorm. With that in mind, it’s time to take the steps to prepare for those storms. Make sure outage preparedness kits are packed with fresh batteries, water and even a portable cell phone charger.
Brush up on generator safety tips so that if you use a generator to power your home during an outage, you are doing it safely. PUD crews are ready to go and will respond in all weather conditions, any time of the day or night, to get your power back on as soon as possible.
So, if you experience a power outage, please call the PUD Outage Line at (360) 537-3721 or (888) 541-5923 to report the problem and follow along the PUD website to track the outage responses or to register for outage notification emails. The PUD crews are ready for winter weather. PUD customers should be, too.