KIUC Preps for Hurricane Douglas

Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative continues to closely track the movements of Hurricane Douglas as it approaches the Hawaiian Islands.

“Our emergency preparedness plan was activated several days ago,” stated President and Chief Executive Officer, David Bissell. “We’re well prepared to commence any necessary restoration efforts once the storm passes Kauaʿi.”

Some operational protocols have been altered due to COVID-19. However, Bissell doesn’t expect storm response to be substantially different than normal. “Many of our employees are teleworking, but we’re well connected and collaborating closely to overcome any challenges,” he said.

Line crews responding to outages will adhere to social distancing guidelines, which may impact the timeliness of restoration work. To insure the safety of workers, members of the public are asked to observe social distancing and not to approach line crews as they are working.

“We’ll use all available means of communication to keep members informed about current outages, safety alerts, and timeframes for restoration, if known,” Bissell said. The KIUC Facebook page will provide status reports, and the outage map on the homepage of the cooperative’s website is another resource for current information: www.kiuc.coop.

KIUC members can prepare themselves for the impacts of storms and possible power outages as follows:

-Protect your appliances and sensitive equipment from power outages and surges that may occur because of bad weather by using surge protectors
-During a storm turn off and unplug all unnecessary appliances or equipment
-Keep a portable battery-powered radio and flashlights on hand with extra batteries
-In case of loss of power, when the power comes back on and is steady, gradually plug in your appliances

In the event of high winds, objects can come into contact with overhead lines and electrical equipment causing power interruptions. Sometimes during high winds power lines are knocked down. If you see any lines from utility poles on the ground, assume that they are dangerous, stay clear and call 911.

General emergency preparedness information can be found on the Kauaʿi Emergency Management Agency’s website at www.kauai.gov/KEMA.

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