**** NSP Media Release
Prepared for Hurricane Dorian: Nova Scotia Power Activate Emergency Operations Centre
Nova Scotia Power is mobilizing personnel and resources in advance of Hurricane Dorian’s expected arrival in Nova Scotia Saturday.
“We have been tracking Dorian closely and preparing for several days,” said Karen Hutt, President & CEO of Nova Scotia Power. “We know this type of weather can cause fallen trees on lines and damage to our equipment, resulting in outages. We are mobilizing close to 1,000 personnel to respond to Hurricane Dorian, and we will be ready to safely restore power to customers as quickly as possible.”
Nova Scotia Power is activating its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at noon tomorrow (FRIDAY) to plan and manage its storm response. The EOC is the nerve centre for outage restoration planning and response and is staffed with employees representing all aspects of the company. Nova Scotia Power will operate its EOC until the last customer is safely restored. “Our preparations include bringing in several hundred power line technicians from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec,” Hutt said. “As well, we will have forestry crews, planners, damage assessors, engineers, supervisors, communication experts, and customer care representatives at the ready. Teams will be staged over the course of the day on Friday across the province to ensure we can mobilize our response as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Crews will begin restoring power as soon as conditions are safe; winds are gusting above 80 km/h, they have to make on-site assessments of whether to stand down for safety.
Nova Scotia Power is coordinating closely with the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office. Customer Safety Nova Scotia Power encourages customers to plan for their safety. Some tips include:
• Monitoring local weather forecasts
• Having an emergency kit that includes flashlights, a battery-powered radio and fresh water
• Charging electronic device • 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. Outage Information
• Customers can report outages and get estimated restoration times online at outagemap.nspower.ca or by calling Nova Scotia Power at 1-877-428-6004.
Estimated times of restoration will be posted and we will make updates to our estimated restore times once our teams have assessed damage.
Restoration Priorities 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. Nova Scotia Power is mobilizing personnel and resources in advance of Hurricane Dorian’s expected arrival in Nova Scotia Saturday.
“We have been tracking Dorian closely and preparing for several days,” said Karen Hutt, President & CEO of Nova Scotia Power. “We know this type of weather can cause fallen trees on lines and damage to our equipment, resulting in outages. We are mobilizing close to 1,000 personnel to respond to Hurricane Dorian, and we will be ready to safely restore power to customers as quickly as possible.”
Nova Scotia Power is activating its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at noon tomorrow (FRIDAY) to plan and manage its storm response. The EOC is the nerve centre for outage restoration planning and response and is staffed with employees representing all aspects of the company. Nova Scotia Power will operate its EOC until the last customer is safely restored.
“Our preparations include bringing in several hundred power line technicians from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec,” Hutt said. “As well, we will have forestry crews, planners, damage assessors, engineers, supervisors, communication experts, and customer care representatives at the ready. Teams will be staged over the course of the day on Friday across the province to ensure we can mobilize our response as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Crews will begin restoring power as soon as conditions are safe; winds are gusting above 80 km/h, they have to make on-site assessments of whether to stand down for safety.
Nova Scotia Power is coordinating closely with the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office. Customer Safety Nova Scotia Power encourages customers to plan for their safety. Some tips include:
• Monitoring local weather forecasts
• Having an emergency kit that includes flashlights, a battery-powered radio and fresh water
• Charging electronic device • 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. Outage Information
• Customers can report outages and get estimated restoration times online at outagemap.nspower.ca or by calling Nova Scotia Power at 1-877-428-6004. Estimated times of restoration will be posted and we will make updates to our estimated restore times once our teams have assessed damage. Restoration Priorities
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.
Halifax Water Prepares for Hurricane Dorian
Hurricane Dorian is currently predicted to impact Halifax and Nova Scotia Saturday into Sunday. Halifax Water operates critical water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and is taking all possible precautions to prepare for Dorian.
Those measures include filling of fuel tanks, testing backup power supply generators, filling of water reservoirs, securing construction sites and working to clear drains and pipes in flood prone areas.
Halifax Water’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) will be in operation on a 24 hour basis throughout the storm. Halifax Water staff are also working with the Municipal Emergency Management Office to coordinate efforts as required.
For water, wastewater and stormwater/flooding related issues, customers should call our Customer Care Centre at 902-420-9287 or email customercare@halifaxwater.ca, check www.halifaxwater.ca, Twitter @HalifaxWater and Facebook.
Residents can the help the rain get in the storm drain by safely clearing trash, leaves, or other debris from a catchbasin near you. Visit our catchbasin locater App at https://www.halifaxwater.ca/fire-hydrants-catchbasins.
Residents should also prepare for Dorian by having their own emergency preparedness kit ready. See attached example kit.
