HERNDON, Va. — Strong storms are inevitable during the spring and summer months. The start of June officially marks the beginning of hurricane season. We’ve had our fair share of storms over the last few weeks, causing widespread power outages.
It’s why Dominion Energy is putting out some tips everyone can do to mitigate time spent in the dark. WUSA9 had a chance to learn how they are hardening their grid to keep you in the light.
“We do expect an active season. We do ask that our customers leave the prevention to us though, electricity is a dangerous product,” Alan Bradshaw, Vice President of Strategic Partnership for Dominion Energy, said.
In their operation center, it seems like just a few computers, but the room is essential when storms push through the region and Dominion Energy is working to make sure crews on the ground are able to safely work.
“We have three of these across our service territory in Virginia and North Carolina and they actually operate the grid from these three rooms. Our distribution system is 60,000 miles and there's 1000s of devices and 2.7 million customers that count on that grid to operate every single day,” Bradshaw said.
Gathering the essentials is what Bradshaw said we should all be doing now before a storm blows our way.
“Making sure that you've got batteries and flashlights and you're able to charge your phones and having fuel in your car,” Bradshaw said.
Trees toppling over due to high winds or unstable soil can often knock down power lines or even poles. You also may want to check your yards for dead trees. But Bradshaw said to leave the major work to the professionals.
“If there's a tree that is encroaching into our power lines, then you certainly can call us," he said.