Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative activates emergency preparedness plan due to Hurricane Gilma

The Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative is monitoring the progress of Hurricane Gilma along with other storm activity in the Pacific and has activated its emergency preparedness plan.

KIUC members are encouraged to review their home and business emergency preparedness plans, and act accordingly in preparation for the potential impacts of storms and high winds.

“Please note that, as a precautionary measure to prevent fire ignition, KIUC may place circuits into more sensitive settings or de-energize circuits in fire prone areas,” utility cooperative personnel said in a recent weather report. “This is most likely to occur on the leeward side of the island (i.e., south and west Kaua‘i), but could occur anywhere based on conditions.

“KIUC will make every effort to inform members prior to taking these actions, however they could be implemented without warning.”

Members can prepare for severe weather by:

• Protecting your appliances and sensitive equipment from power outages and surges that may occur because of bad weather by using surge protectors
• Turning off and unplugging all unnecessary appliances or equipment during a storm
• Keeping a portable battery-powered radio and flashlights on hand with extra batteries
• Ensuring you have adequate backup power for any essential medical equipment

Remember, if you see any lines from utility poles on the ground, stay at least 30 feet clear, assume they are dangerous, and call 911.

Storm preparedness tips can be found on KIUC’s website: www.kiuc.coop/storm-sense.  Guidance for wildfire preparedness can be found at www.kiuc.coop/wildfire. General emergency preparedness information can be found on the Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency’s website: Emergency Preparedness – Kauai County, HI.

Follow local media and KIUC’s Facebook page for updated information on outages and weather advisories. The KIUC Facebook feed can also be viewed on the home page of our website: www.kiuc.coop.