Preparing and staying safe during severe weather and power outages

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. --- As Michiana prepares for some severe weather Monday evening, folks should also be preparing for what to do in case their power goes out. With the powerful winds in the forecast, it is expected that Michiana neighborhoods will see some power outages. Being prepared for severe weather and taking the right steps to make sure you are keeping you and your family safe is always key.

Besides having emergency kits, keeping off the roads, and having plans in place to keep yourself safe during and after severe weather, you can also help keep the power workers safe by making sure they are able to restore power efficiently.

If you have your generators ready for back up, make sure they are hooked up correctly so you're not putting power workers at any risk of danger while trying to fix power lines.

Power outages are possible throughout Michiana Monday night, with heavy winds and severe weather expected.

Local power companies say they are prepared to deal with power outages quickly and efficiently.

Ahead of storms, making sure you have an emergency kit ready to go with extra food, water, and other necessary supplies, even when it may not feel that severe, is always a safe plan.

“We’re gonna work as quickly and safely as we can to get everybody’s power restored. Another big hazard that we see, on our side, is back feed from generators or solar that are hooked unproperly from the homeowner. So make sure that is hooked up correctly so you’re not back feeding onto our system. Again, that’s a very dangerous position that you can put our employees into, so make sure that’s hooked up correctly if you’re going to use it," says Evan Bressler, Safety & Loss Control Director at Midwest Energy and Communications.

Resources for restoration times, safety checklists, and more from local power companies:

Be Prepared and Safe - MEC - Midwest Energy & Communications (teammidwest.com)

Safety (indianamichiganpower.com)