Preparing for Hurricane Lee: NS Power to Activate Emergency Operations Centre

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Power will be activating its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Friday at 12pm, (September 15) ahead of the first significant storm expected to impact Nova Scotia this hurricane season.

“Our team has been monitoring Hurricane Lee for several days and using that information to finalize plans so we’re ready to respond,” said Matt Drover, Nova Scotia Power’s storm lead. “Based on the recent weather forecasts, we’re opening our Emergency Operations Centre to ensure we are prepared and crews are in place to manage our storm response.”

Customers are encouraged to be prepared too by monitoring their local weather forecasts and having an emergency kit ready. You can find a full list of safety and storm preparedness tips on our website: www.nspower.ca/stormready

“We are expecting winds to be the biggest challenge with this storm, both from a safety standpoint and impact on our equipment. We are taking every precaution and will be ready to respond as safely and efficiently as possible,” said Drover.

The EOC provides a central place to coordinate planning for our storm response. It’s staffed with employees from across the company. We are also working closely with the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office.

Outage Information

Customers can report outages and get estimated restoration times online at outagemap.nspower.ca or by calling 1-877-428-6004. Estimated restoration times are updated as our crews assess the damage.

For more info on restoration phases visit: http://nspower.ca/storm.

** PHOTOGRAPHS:  pictures of crews at the Dartmouth depot getting ready for storm response available here.

QUICK FACTS:

Hurricanes & Tropical Storms

• we monitor and track these systems several days leading up to possible landfall, which allows us to prepare for various scenarios;
• the data from historical tropical storms helps us determine where to position crews across the province;
• the impact is similar to wind storms, however it can be even more significant with interruptions over a longer period of time;
• there can often be damage to infrastructure which can take longer to repair (ie. broken poles and downed lines)
• wind can also impact restoration efforts as crews must stand down when winds reach 80km/hour until it is safe to go back up in the buckets;
• if a customer’s electrical equipment is damaged – such as a meter mast – they need a certified electrician to make repairs before NS Power can safely restore power. A list of electrical contractors can be found in the link provided.

FOR BROADCAST USE:

NOVA SCOTIA POWER WILL BE ACTIVATING ITS EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTRE FRIDAY (SEPTEMBER 15) AT NOON (12PM) AHEAD OF HURRICANE LEE.

BASED ON THE LATEST WEATHER FORECASTS, HIGH WINDS WILL BE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FROM BOTH A SAFETY STANDPOINT AND IMPACT ON EQUIPMENT.

NS POWER IS MOVING POWER LINE TECHNICIANS, FORESTRY TEAMS AND OTHERS ACROSS THE PROVINCE TO BE READY TO RESPOND TO OUTAGES.

NS POWER STORM LEAD, MATT DROVER SAYS THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTRE IS A CENTRAL PLACE TO COORDINATE PLANNING FOR RESPONDING TO CUSTOMERS AND RESTORING POWER. IT’S STAFFED BY EMPLOYEES FROM ACROSS THE COMPANY.

DROVER SAYS CREWS WILL BE READY TO RESPOND AS SAFELY AND EFFECIENTLY AS POSSIBLE.