NOVA SCOTIA POWER IS PREPARING FOR A WINTER STORM WITH HIGH WINDS AND MIXED PRECIPITATION THAT IS FORECAST FOR NOVA SCOTIA ON DECEMBER 25.

THE POWER COMPANY SAYS THIS IS THE TYPE OF WEATHER THAT CAN BRING TREES DOWN ONTO POWER LINES AND CAUSE OUTAGES.

NOVA SCOTIA POWER WILL HAVE POWERLINE CREWS AND FORESTRY CREWS STATIONED ACROSS THE PROVINCE AND READY TO RESPOND. NOVA SCOTIA POWER IS ASKING ITS CUSTOMERS TO PREPARE AS WELL. SOME TIPS INCLUDE HAVING AN EMERGENCY KIT THAT INCLUDES FLASHLIGHTS, A BATTERY-POWERED RADIO AND FRESH WATER, AND CHARGING MOBILE DEVICES.

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NS Power to Activate Emergency Operations Centre

Nova Scotia Power is activating its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at 10 AM tomorrow (DECEMBER 25) in advance of a Christmas Day storm.

“Weather forecasts are calling for high winds and mixed precipitation across the province, lasting into tomorrow night,” said Matt Drover, Nova Scotia Power’s storm lead. “In preparation, we’re stationing powerline crews and forestry teams across the province, and we’re staffing up our Customer Care Centre.”

The EOC is the nerve centre for outage restoration planning and response and is staffed with employees representing all aspects of the company.

“We will be ready to respond to any interruptions in our customers’ Christmas celebrations as quickly as it is safe to do so,” Drover said. “We expect this storm to cause power outages, so we would really encourage people to monitor their local weather forecasts and plan their celebrations and dinner plans accordingly.”

Additionally, NS Power encourages customers to plans for their safety. Some tips include having an emergency kit that includes flashlights, a battery-powered radio and fresh water, ensuring backup generators are installed properly outdoors, and charging mobile devices. 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 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

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Source: Media Release