Nova Scotia Power activated its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at 12 p.m. today, (NOVEMBER 13) in advance of an impending nor’easter.
“Weather forecasts are calling for heavy rain and strong wind gusts upwards of 80 to 100 km/h, beginning on Tuesday night and carrying into Wednesday,” said Matt Drover, Nova Scotia Power’s storm lead. “In preparation, we’re positioning powerline crews and forestry teams across the province, and we’re staffing up our Customer Care Centre. We continue to closely monitor weather forecasts, and we will have crews staged throughout the province so that we can respond to affected customers as quickly as possible.”
The EOC provides centralized coordination for outage restoration planning and response, as well as liaison with the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office (EMO). It is staffed with employees representing all aspects of the company.
“Based on the current storm track and forecasted winds, we expect this storm could cause power outages particularly along the South Shore, Halifax Metro, and the northeastern area of the province, into Cape Breton. Typically, with forecasted wind gusts above 80 km/h, we see outages caused by trees contacting or falling on power lines,” said Drover.
“Freezing temperatures are also forecast beginning overnight tonight and into Wednesday. We encourage people to
monitor their local weather forecasts and make preparations accordingly. We will be ready to begin restoration efforts
as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
Nova Scotia Power is also proactively coordinating with electrical inspectors to streamline the repair process for
customers who may incur damage to their meter mast as a result of the storm. If a customer’s electrical equipment
becomes damaged, customers need a certified electrician to make repairs before Nova Scotia Power can safely restore
power.
Nova Scotia Power encourages customers to plan for their safety. Some tips include charging electronic devices,
ensuring backup generators are installed properly outdoors, and having an emergency kit that includes flashlights, a battery-powered radio and fresh water. If you lose power, turn off and unplug electrical equipment, such as televisions and computers to prevent damage when power is restored.
Visit www.nspower.ca/stormready for a full list of safety and storm preparedness tips.
In situations where there are multiple power outages, Nova Scotia Power restores power in phases to ensure critical services like hospitals can stay open before beginning work in other areas. Larger outages on transmission lines and in substations are restored ahead of smaller outages to restore electricity to the greatest number of customers. The phases
are as follows:
Phase 1 – Restoration of public safety issues and emergency situations
Phase 2 – Restoration of NS Power critical infrastructure such as transmission lines and substations
Phase 3 – Restoration of Emergency Management Office (EMO) critical infrastructure such as hospitals, shelters, and essential provincial and municipal services
Phase 4 – Restoration of main electrical feeders servicing communities and neighbourhoods
Phase 5 – Restoration of branch power lines servicing individual streets
Phase 6 – Restoration of individual homes and businesses
Customers who experience an outage are encouraged to stay tuned to outagemap.nspower.ca or call the Outage Line at 1-877-428-6004 for up to date information on power restoration.
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Source : Media Release