Be Prepared

Cullman Power Board continuously monitors changing weather conditions for possible threats of bad weather. The possibility of severe weather events can often be forecast hours in advance, giving valuable time to set an emergency plan in motion. It’s a good idea for customers to have an emergency plan established to be better prepared for severe weather.

Establish an Emergency Plan

When you create your emergency plan, there are a few things you need to take into consideration:

• Is your Cullman Power Board account information current (email and phone)?
• By what means will you receive emergency alerts or warnings?
• What’s the best location for your emergency meeting place?
• What’s the best location for your emergency kit?
• What’s the best evacuation route in the event of an evacuation?
• Where will you take shelter?
• Specific needs or equipment for family members?
• How will you communicate if you are separated from your family?

Once you have determined your emergency plan and communicated it to every family member, make sure to practice emergency drills. Safeguard any important documents and be sure to have the property insured.

Create an Emergency Preparedness Kit

Threatening weather and catastrophic storms can happen at any time day or night. Not only is it important to have an emergency plan in place for natural disasters but also a well-prepared emergency kit. While the weather is mild, it’s good to take a few steps ahead of time to be prepared incase potential severe weather causes outages for an extended period of time. Before severe weather strikes consider these helpful tips to create your emergency preparedness kit:

• Have a battery-operated portable radio, TV, or NOAA Weather Radio on hand to monitor official weather forecasts and to stay tuned into other     important information for our area. Also, keep your cell phone and other devices you may need fully charged with chargers readily available.
• If you have a piece of life-sustaining medical equipment in your home or have special needs, have a back-up plan in place in the event of a utility outage. In many cases, we may not be able to give an estimated time for when power will be restored, so plan ahead. Being prepared in the case of a power outage is the best way to prevent a medical emergency from happening.
• Assemble an emergency supply kit of basic items your household may need during outages. Here are just a few items you may want to consider:
   
  • A 3-day supply of drinking water, non-perishable food items that require no cooking and manual can openers.
   
  • First aid supplies and any medications you or your family needs.
   
  • Flashlights and a supply of extra batteries.
   
  • Specialty items such as baby food, additional warm clothing, and a safe heat source.
   
  • Agencies like the American Red Cross and FEMA list other recommended items you may want to consider for your kit.
 
• If you have an emergency heating or power source, learn how to use it properly. Never use your gas oven, range or outdoor grill to heat your     home. Doing so can cause deadly levels of carbon monoxide buildup in your home.
• Continue to monitor the media for important information. Also, you can visit our Facebook page via battery-operated web devices for power     restoration updates.
• If you experience a power outage, please alert us by calling 256-734-2343.

Make sure your emergency kit contains the basic necessities, then consider the unique needs of your family and pets to include as well.

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Causes of Outages

The cause of an outage can vary and can also affect the length of the restoration process. Below are some of the most common causes of outages:

Animals

Did you know animals are one of the top causes of electric outages? Despite the barriers and protective equipment in place, small animals can climb onto or inside certain pieces of equipment causing it to shut down, thus interrupting the flow of power to customers.

Weather: Wind, Lightning, and Ice

During storms, high winds and lightning are common causes of outages. High winds may cause power lines to touch. Lightning may strike electrical equipment or nearby objects causing them to fall onto lines or poles. Freezing rain or sleet can create a buildup of ice on power lines and trees eventually causing lines to break.

Trees

Trees and tree limbs are a major cause of outages in all weather conditions. Whether it’s windy, stormy, icy or sunny outside, tree limbs can fall on power lines and poles. Because of this, Cullman Power Board takes proactive steps throughout the year to maintain our right of ways by trim trees that threaten our power lines. This helps reduce outages and helps restoration efforts in the event of a storm.

Vehicles and Construction

Vehicle accidents involving utility poles may cause an outage. Poles may be damaged, causing power lines to break or touch. Also, accidental contact with underground or overhead powerlines at construction sites can cause power outages. Remember to call 811 so that all underground utility lines can be located before you plan to dig. From simple landscaping projects like planting trees or shrubs, to building a deck or installing a mailbox, place a call to Alabama 811 before every digging project.

Restoration Process

Powerful storms often pass through our area, leaving damage to our utility services. In many instances, we can diagnose and often repair problems with minimal impact on our customers. Unfortunately, there are those storms that create major system-wide damage, leaving customers without power for an extended period of time. Restoring power after a major storm is a complex process that can affect each customer differently.

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Planned Electric Outages

These outages usually occur when CPB or our contractors are working on a project to upgrade or improve the electric service to your neighborhood. While outages are never convenient, they are sometimes necessary for us to complete our work safely. We will notify you 24-48 hours in advance of any planned electric outages.

To lessen the impact of planned electric outages, please follow these helpful tips:

• To prevent loss of data or damage to your equipment, be sure to shut off or disconnect computers, fax machines or other sensitive equipment before the outage begins.
• This outage may affect your alarm system and/or phon esystem. Please contact your provider.
• Make preparations to override or manually operate you rgarage and/or security gates. 
• Keep your refrigerator or freezer closed to help maintain temperatures in these appliances. 
• Remember to reset any clocks in your home or business that do not run on battery back-up.

Power Outage Frequently Asked Questions

In the event of a major utility outage, Cullman Power Board employees are focusing all attention on the process of getting power restored as quickly and safely as possible. Before calling a customer service representative, please review the information below for answers to your outage questions.

If you see drooping or downed lines, do not get near the lines or anything that is in contact with the lines such as limbs. Always assume that the lines are LIVE and stay away from the area. Report the downed lines by calling 256-734-2343