Are You Ready, Manassas Park? A Storm Could Be A-Blowin'

Local electricity providers have turn from post-earthquake operations to hurricane preparations, Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative officials said today.

 After this week’s earthquake, NOVEC employees inspected the company’s distribution system and found it to be sound, Allen Barbee, Electric System Operations vice president said in a press release issued today.

 “Now we’re in storm preparation mode,” she said.  “Crews are assembling necessary equipment and supplies, and our utility trucks are ready to roll."

As of now, the region is expected to get hit with possible thunderstorms and rain throughout the weekend due to Hurricane Irene, with much of the rain coming between Friday night and Sunday. The hurricane will continue up the East Coast hitting portions of the Mid-Atlantic and will likely bring damaging winds, power outages and flooding to the Northeast between Saturday and Monday.

Northern Virginians can expect their Thursday to be cloudy and rainy due to a cold front moving through, according to the National Weather Service. 

Coastal flooding will be a possibility in the early hours of the day on the Potomac River. Some of Thursday’s storms may be severe, producing high winds and heavy rains.

 NOVEC, which supplies power to homes in Manassas Park, the city of Manassas and Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Stafford, and Clarke counties, is urging its customers to prepare for Hurricane Irene, which is expect to become a dangerous Category 4 storm.

 Here is what the company suggests for its residents:

• Designate the safest shelter location. Be prepared to leave a mobile home for better protection and have a evacuation plan for someone disabled.
• Have an emergency kit with non-perishable food, water, flashlights, battery-operated radio and extra batteries, lanterns, canned fuel, matches and first aid.
• Have enough prescription drugs, pet food and baby-care items.
• Have identification and documentation ready to grab. Keep Social Security information, birth certificates; home, car and life insurance files and other important documents in a water-proof file box.
• Cordless phones do not work when power is out; keep cell phones charged.
• Make sure NOVEC has your current phone number to expedite outage reporting and restoration. Associate a cell phone number with your account.
• Before a storm hits, unplug TVs, DVD and VCR players, microwave ovens and computers to protect them from power surges and lightning strikes.