At Panola-Harrison Electric Cooperative, one of our goals is to serve our members while also providing a safe workplace as we manage our day-to-day operations. However, like many others in our area, we are taking steps to prepare for the winter weather and we are also encouraging everyone around us to be prepared.
Forecasters are predicting light snow, high winds, and minor icing. Forecasters are predicting the dangerous conditions could start at approximately 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 11, 2024 and last through Tuesday, January 16, 2024. The predicated weather conditions could cause power outages.
In advance of the storm we will be making preparations, including reviewing our safety procedures for employees and reviewing our contingency plans. At this time our crews are staging repair equipment and supplies. Residents are warned that the weight of snow could cause trees to fall and cause limbs to fall from trees.
As a policy, during storms like this we never shut down our power system, unless we are required to by Southwest Power Pool (SPP). You can follow current SPP grid conditions by clicking the link below.
https://spp.org/grid-conditions
The weather conditions may result in numerous road closures and unusually hazardous conditions for our crews. Residents and businesses in our service area should be prepared for extended outages. Crews are preparing for possible power outages.
When an outage occurs, power is first restored to substations and major lines, as well as to critical infrastructure in our area, such as hospitals, police departments, and other emergency responders. Please be aware that sometimes during complicated repairs, you may have your lights come back on, only to have them go off again because we discover another problem that must be fixed. We understand that it is very frustrating when a neighbor has lights and you don't, or that people across the street have lights and you don't. Often this may be because your home is on another circuit, or perhaps your meter is damaged in a way that your neighbor's meter is not damaged.
For your safety, please stay away from any downed power lines.
Because this is a winter storm, you should prepare to properly heat your home while you are without electricity. The source might include a propane heater, a wood burning stove, or a fireplace. Make sure you have ample firewood or propane for heating.
- If you will be heating with wood, have enough cut wood available for several days and store the wood in a dry area. Make sure you have a clean chimney to avoid a chimney fire. If time permits, inspect your chimney for cracks to make sure smoke does not enter your home or attic.
- If you will be using propane, make sure your propane tank is full. Make sure gas heaters are vented properly to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Make sure gas heaters are clean and operating well. Also, please remember to remove flammable objects that are near gas heaters. As a further safety precaution, please make sure your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are working and have fresh batteries.
- If you are using a whole-home generator, it must have a transfer switch, installed by a licensed electrician, to prevent the generator from back feeding into our electrical system.
- For the safety of everyone, if you are using a portable electrical generator, do not tie it into your circuit panel. An improperly wired generator can send power into downed lines causing serious injury or death to you, a family member, a neighbor, or one of our repair crews. A generator can only be tied into a circuit panel if a licensed electrician has installed a transfer switch.
- If you will be using your own electrical generator, make sure you have ample fuel for the length of the power outage. Please store your fuel in a safe place away from the generator or any heat source so there is not an accidental fire. If you run extension cords from your generator to your appliances, make sure your extension cords meet code. Do not attempt to run too many appliances off of one generator because this could cause an overload and fire.
- If you rely on an electric stove or microwave for cooking, you need to consider what your options will be for food preparation. If you use a propane camping stove, please be aware that it may also put out harmful carbon monoxide fumes.
Road conditions may keep you from leaving your home. Now is the time to stock up on necessities, such as water, bread, snacks, non-refrigerated foods, medications, and medical supplies.
All outages must be reported by phone or by outage texting. To report an outage or a downed power line, you can call 903-935-7936. To sign up for outage texting, click here.
We will post any updates to our website at www.phec.us.
Details about the storm from the National Weather Service (NWS) Shreveport, LA can be seen below:
Thank you,
Panola-Harrison Electric Cooperative