Nova Scotia Power Activating its Emergency Operations Centre

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Power is activating its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at 7:00am Friday (February 4), in advance of the fifth major winter storm expected to hit the province in the last four weeks.

“So far this year, we have a seen a significant number of severe weather systems impact Nova Scotia,” says Sean Borden, Nova Scotia Power’s storm lead. “Weather forecasts are calling for a heavy amount of rain, freezing rain, snow and ice pellets beginning overnight Thursday and continuing all day Friday. We are positioning power line crews, forestry and other teams across the province, so we are ready to safely respond as quickly as possible for our customers.” 

The EOC is staffed with employees from all parts of the company.  It provides a central place to coordinate planning for outage restoration and response. Nova Scotia Power is also coordinating closely with the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office and has a team onsite to help coordinate the response.

“Based on the current forecast this weather system is expected to impact the entire province,” Borden said. “We are taking every precaution and ensuring we have our team and resources, in the right places so we are ready to 

Customer Safety

NS Power encourages customers to monitor their local weather forecasts and prepare accordingly. Some tips include having an emergency kit with flashlights, battery-powered radio and fresh water.  For a full list of safety and storm preparedness tips: www.nspower.ca/stormready.

Outage Information

Customers can report outages and get estimated times of restoration (ETRs) online at outagemap.nspower.ca or by calling 1-877-428-6004.  For more info on how power is restored in a storm, please visit: http://nspower.ca/storm.

Damaged Electrical Equipment

Sometimes a customer’s electrical equipment – such as a meter mast – can get damaged in a storm.  If this happens, it’s important to remember they will need a certified electrician to make repairs before NS Power can safely restore their power.

    QUICK FACTS

    • ice storms can cause power lines to come down due to ice covered trees or branches falling on them;
    • similar to heavy wet snow, ice accumulation can create significant damage in a small area
    • power lines can come down with significant weight of ice on wires and nearby trees/branches
    • the extra weight of snow and ice can bring power lines down and can also break poles and damage equipment, which can also create safety issues for crews working to restore power;
    • the impact can vary depending on the amount of ice accumulation, how long it lasts and how fast the system moves across a region/province;
    • ice storms can lead to prolonged outages if temperatures stay low as it takes time to get ice off the lines/equipment
    • the impact can also be felt as the ice melts and trees spring back up from the weight of the ice
    • the freezing rain and ice can affect road conditions and in turn impact how fast crews are able to get to affected areas.

    FOR BROADCAST USE

    NOVA SCOTIA POWER IS OPENING ITS EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTRE AT 7AM FRIDAY IN ADVANCE OF THE FIFTH WINTER STORM THIS MONTH, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BRING A MIX OF RAIN, FREEZING RAIN, SNOW AND ICE PELLETS ACROSS THE PROVINCE.

    THE UTILITY IS POSITIONING POWER LINE CREWS AND FORESTRY TEAMS ACROSS THE PROVINCE IN PREPARATION FOR THE STORM.  IT IS ALSO BRINGING IN MORE STAFF FOR THE CUSTOMER CARE CENTRE.

    NOVA SCOTIA POWER STORM LEAD, SEAN BORDEN, SAYS CREWS WILL BE READY TO RESPOND TO ANY OUTAGES AS QUICKLY AND SAFELY AS POSSIBLE.  THEY ENCOURAGE CUSTOMERS TO MONITOR THE FORECAST AND BE PREPARED TOO.

    STORM SAFETY TIPS CAN BE FOUND ON NOVA SCOTIA POWER’S WEBSITE at NSPOWER.CA/STORMREADY

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    About Nova Scotia Power

    Nova Scotia Power Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Emera Inc. (TSX-EMA), a diversified energy and services company. Nova Scotia Power provides 95% of the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical power to more than 525,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across Nova Scotia. The company is focused on new technologies to enhance customer service and reliability, reduce emissions and add renewable energy. Nova Scotia Power has over 1,700 employees and $4.1 billion in operating assets. Learn more at www.nspower.ca.

    Contact:

    Jacqueline Foster

    NSP Senior Communications Advisor

    902-225-4735

    Jacqueline.foster@nspower.ca

     

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