What Nova Scotia Power is doing to prepare for coming storm
As wind warnings and special weather statements cover most of the province, Nova Scotia Power is deploying crews to be ready for potential power outages.
Company spokesperson Tiffany Chase said with gusts of 80 to 100 kilometres per hour forecast for the next 24 hours, the hardest-hit parts of the province will be along the South Shore, metro Halifax, and the northeast part of the province into Cape Breton.
As of 7:05 p.m. Tuesday there were about 130 customers without power, roughly half in Mabou.
Chase said by the early hours of Wednesday morning, a mix of 200 in-house and contract personnel will be spread out across the province to repair outages, with a portion of those crews already at the designated locations.
How to be storm ready
To prepare for potential outages, Nova Scotia Power says people should charge their electronic devices, prepare an emergency kit that includes water, a battery-powered radio and flashlights, and if they have an emergency generator, make sure it's installed properly.
If their power goes out, Chase said people should use a mobile device to check Nova Scotia Power's outage map to see if it's been reported. People can also call 1-877-428-6004 to find out if there's been an outage or report one.
Chase said even with the crews in place, power won't necessarily be immediately restored.
"It may not be safe for our crews in all areas to respond as soon as an outage occurs," she said. "With winds gusting above 80 kilometres per hour, it's not always safe for crews to be up in bucket trucks.
"We ask those crews to make on-site assessments and then they determine whether it's safe."
Chase that when winds blow above 80 kilometres per hour, it's typical to have trees touch or fall into power lines, sometimes bringing the lines or poles down.
She said the company spends $20 million a year on tree trimming and cutting, and that work is done every day.
Nova Scotia Power has more than 32,000 kilometres of power lines in the province, said Chase.
"Our system is strong. We invest in it year-round," she said, "but we are seeing more and more severe storms."
