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LCEC’s preparation begins long before a hurricane threatens to make landfall in Southwest Florida.<\/p>\nLCEC’s preparation begins long before a hurricane threatens to make landfall in Southwest Florida.<\/p>\n
To ensure LCEC has the resources needed for restoration, the organization cultivates relationships with power line and tree-trimming contractors, fuel companies, material vendors, food service vendors, other cooperatives and local agencies for back-up resources.<\/p>\n
In addition, LCEC’s nearly 400 employees play a critical role in the restoration plan. Employees put their typical job responsibilities on hold to pitch in during restoration.<\/p>\n
Restoration priorities<\/p>\n
LCEC has a detailed restoration plan that outlines priorities of electric restoration during large power outages.<\/p>\n
LCEC’s plan first calls for restoration of essential services such as hospitals, traffic signals, shelters, law enforcement. Next, power is restored to the largest number of customers.<\/p>\n
The last to be restored are individual services or services that need to be reconnected after repair to their home electrical system.<\/p>\n
LCEC does not disconnect power before a storm. The utility lets Mother Nature run her course and begins to restore power to impacted areas once winds are at a safe level.<\/p>\n
Preparing for outages<\/p>\n
– Ensure that you have a back-up telephone if you use a cordless or other telephone that is dependent on electricity<\/p>\n
– Have a battery-powered radio on hand and a supply of fresh batteries to stay aware of news and other information<\/p>\n
– Keep a flashlight and extra batteries handy<\/p>\n
When the lights go out<\/p>\n
– Help keep LCEC’s telephone lines clear for emergency calls; only call LCEC at\u00a0(239) 656-2300\u00a0to report downed power lines<\/p>\n
– Visually check your weather-head – on the roof where your service drop connects to the pole – and your meter box to make sure it is not damaged<\/p>\n
– Any damage to your home’s electric system must be repaired by a licensed electrician and inspected by a designated agency before power can be restored<\/p>\n
– Turn off your appliances – this will protect them when service is restored, prevent electrical fires and lessen the chances of circuit overload when service is restored; you may leave one light on to serve as a visual signal that power has been restored<\/p>\n
Storm safety tips<\/p>\n
– Stay clear of downed power lines – they may still be energized and dangerous; puddles of water contacting downed lines are just as dangerous<\/p>\n
– Do not trim trees or remove debris located near downed power lines; if you must remove debris from your home, do not pile it under or near electrical lines or equipment<\/p>\n
– Residents on life support need to have an alternate plan in place to ensure the continuity of any life-support needs; this may include making special arrangements to spend time with a friend or relative during an outage or using a back-up generator<\/p>\n
– If operating a portable generator, keep it outside and in an open area – carbon monoxide emissions can be harmful; follow all instructions regarding safe operation and do not connect the generator directly to your main electrical panel – if installed incorrectly, power could flow into outside lines and injure you, your neighbors or utility crews working in the area<\/p>\n
– Avoid detaining LCEC employees or contractors while they are working to restore power; this can be distracting, can cause an accident and impedes the process<\/p>\n
Source: Lee County Electric Cooperative<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LCEC’s preparation begins long before a hurricane threatens to make landfall in Southwest Florida. To ensure LCEC has the resources needed for restoration, the organization cultivates relationships with power line… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36133"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36133\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}