As Hurricane Dorian works its way up the Atlantic seaboard toward eastern North Carolina, electric companies serving Beaufort County are making preparations to respond in the event of widespread outages.

TIDELAND EMC

At Tideland EMC, which provides power to thousands of customers in Beaufort County, the electric co-op has implemented its emergency response plan, which includes bringing in additional crews to the area, according to Tideland Corporate Communications Manager Heidi Smith.

“We’re putting storm kits together today, which are kits that will allow each of those crews to be equipped as they respond to storm outages,” Smith said.

In addition to bringing in additional crews, Smith says the co-op will also be issuing information for its customers who depend on electricity for medical devices, advising them to be prepared for location.

“We’ve lined up all of our personnel, we’re doubling up on our dispatchers, and we have our own 24-hour call center here in Pantego,” Smith said. “Those folks will report in, and we’ll have double-shift coverage during the event.”

For additional information, and to track or report outages, visit www.tidelandemc.com. Outages can be reported by phone at 1-800-882-1001 or 252-944-2400 for Beaufort County residents.

WASHINGTON ELECTRIC UTILITIES

Serving approximately 14,000 customers in and beyond the town limits of Washington, Washington Electric Utilities is on full standby for the storm, ensuring that equipment is ready to go.

“We have extra crews on standby if needed,” said Washington Electric Utilities Director Alston Tankard.

As to the city’s priorities, safety is high on the list. Tankard warns area residents to never approach a downed power line.

“If there are power lines on the ground, stay away,” Tankard said. “The eclectic crews will come by, assess the damage and restore power shortly after.”

Outages for Washington Electric Utilities customers can be reported at 252-975-9320.

DUKE ENERGY

In anticipation of the storm, a press release from Duke Energy says the company is moving an additional 4,000 field personnel from 23 states and Canada to the Carolinas, adding to a workforce of 5,000 line workers and tree personnel already on the ground.

“We will have a total field workforce of about 9,000 ready to restore outages when the storm moves out of the Carolinas,” said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy’s incident commander for the Carolinas. “Our customers should know that once we begin work, we will not stop until restoration is complete.”

For real-time information on Duke Energy Outages, visit news.duke-energy.com/outages. Outages can be reported at 1-800-419-6356.