Get Storm Ready For Hurricane Season
It’s easy to lose focus on the weather, especially with recent news about rising CT Electricity Rates. But predictions suggest that this summer may be an active hurricane season. That means CT utilities are hard at work to make sure that the lights stay on if hurricanes comes ashore to your neighborhood. But what can you do to prepare in case of a blackout or worse? Here’s what you need to know about how CT should prep for this active hurricane season.
Will Hurricanes Hit CT?
On May 23, NOAA released its 2024 hurricane forecast. In it, NOAA predicts a 70% chance for the following an active tropical storm season:
- 17-25 Named Storms
- 8-13 Hurricanes
- 4-7 Major Hurricanes
Typically, the season lasts from June all the way through November. However, keep in mind that last winter saw a major storm knock out power for tens of thousands of homes. Now, it’s hard to predict with absolute certainty if or when a hurricane will hit CT. But we should take the threat seriously.
How Utilities Prep For Hurricane Season
For Eversource and UI, this is business as usual. Both utilities are responsible for maintaining grid reliability and even small storms can knock over power lines. So hurricane season prep is one of their top priorities. As one Eversource spokeswoman said it best, ” regardless of weather predictions, we always prepare for severe weather.”
Generally speaking, utilities go “all hands on deck” during severe storms. This means employees are given extra storm-related duties to make sure roads are safe from fallen power lines and to restore power as fast as possible.
Both electric companies have emergency command centers to coordinate efforts. This helps the response teams act more efficiently. As a coastal state, tropical storms have a long history of disrupting CT. As a result, both utilities also use municipal liaisons to coordinate with town and city officials to restore power to critical facilities like hospitals and nursing homes.
How You Can Prep For Storms
But hurricane storm prep doesn’t stop with the utilities. That’s because you can take action to make sure you and your family are safe.
Governor Lamont released a statement urging CT residents to be prepared for tropical storms. This means keeping an eye out for hurricane watch warnings and making a plan for what to do before, during, and after a hurricane storm. This includes the following steps:
- Keep an eye out for radio or TV alerts and instructions
- Have flashlights and portable radios charged and ready to go
- Make sure your car has at least a half tank of gas
- Have plenty of spare cash on hand
Thankfully, the Red Cross makes hurricane prep easy with their downloadable checklists. Check it out!
Be Safe This Hurricane Season
Weather experts predict a high chance of hurricanes from now until early winter. CT’s utilities have taken notice and are making sure they’re ready for possible outages. But don’t let that keep you from getting ready as early as possible.
The team at https://www.ctenergyratings.com will keep an eye on this story as it develops. You can also drop by for the news that affect your bills or to shop for the cheapest energy plans in town.