Blue Ridge Energy Ready to Respond if Winter Weather Causes Outages: Heavy Snow Predicted for Friday

LENOIR, NC (January 7, 2020) – Blue Ridge Energy is on high alert and ready to respond should outages occur as a result of the incoming winter storm starting in the early morning hours of Friday. Forecasts are currently indicting the potential for wet snowfall that may weigh heavily on trees, causing limbs or trees to fall onto power lines and lead power outages.

If outages occur, report them by calling 1-800-448-2383. Or use the Blue Ridge mobile app or the cooperative’s outage texting service to easily report an outage. You must first sign up for outage texting by texting START to 70216 from the mobile phone number on your Blue Ridge Energy account.

For outage status at any time, visit the cooperative’s live online outage map at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com or on the Blue Ridge Energy mobile app.

Blue Ridge Energy recommends keeping the following items handy to stay safe and comfortable in the event of outages:

• Flashlights
• NOAA Weather Radio (you may also be able to sign up for notifications from your local emergency services or from weather services on your smart phone or table)
• Extra batteries
• Extra water for drinking and cooking
• Nonperishable food items
• First aid kit, including prescription medications
• Be sure cell phones and other electronics are fully charged and have fully charged battery back-ups.

Should you see a downed power line, stay far away for your safety! Downed power lines can still be energized and therefore dangerous or even deadly. Only a line technician should ever go near a downed line. Report downed power lines to Blue Ridge Energy by calling 1-800-451-5474.

Blue Ridge Energy posts information during major outages on its social media channels:
www.facebook.com/blueridgeenergy
www.instagram.com/blueridgeenergy
www.twitter.com/blueridgeemc

Blue Ridge Energy serves some 76,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties as well as parts of Avery, Alexander and Wilkes counties. Learn more at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com or on the cooperative’s social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.