SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — As part of Severe Weather Preparedness Week, City Utilities (CU) is urging customers to take steps now to prepare for unpredictable spring weather that can bring strong storms and potential power outages.
City Utilities said preparation can help protect the safety and well-being of families if severe weather strikes, especially when outages disrupt lighting, communications, refrigeration and medical needs.
CU offered several tips for storm readiness:
- Customers should treat all downed power lines as energized and never approach, touch or drive over downed lines, CU said, noting lines can become re-energized without warning. Customers should stay far away and report downed lines immediately by calling (417) 863-9000.
- Build an outage safety kit ahead of time. CU suggested keeping flashlights — instead of candles to reduce fire risk — along with extra batteries, bottled water, non-perishable food, a portable phone charger, first-aid supplies, needed prescriptions and blankets.
- Customers who rely on life-support equipment or refrigerated medications should plan alternative power arrangements before severe weather occurs. CU encouraged customers to work with their health care provider to plan backup options for medical equipment and understand how long those backups will last during an outage.
- Customers should plan for prolonged outages by arranging backup electricity, such as a generator, or identifying an alternate location, like a family member’s home or a community shelter, CU says. Customers may request a life-support designation on their account by contacting Customer Service at (417) 863-9000 and providing a doctor’s certification.
CU also emphasized generator safety. The utility said generators should never be operated inside a home or garage, or near windows and doors, and should be placed at least 20 feet away from the home with exhaust directed away from the structure to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. CU warned customers never to plug a generator directly into a wall outlet because it can cause dangerous backfeeding and pose a life-threatening risk to utility lineworkers…