COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
Today marks the official start of the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane season and as weather authorities prepare, so are those who want to help keep your lights on.
Officials at SCE&G headquarters are encouraging Midlands' residents to be ready by going over a few simple steps. They say that includes having an emergency plan and a ‘safe room' for your family. SCE&G officials add that you should also have storm preparation kit. They have a full list of recommended supplies that include, but aren't limited to a battery-powered radio, flashlights for everyone in the family, bottled water, and an adequate amount of food.
SCE&G also suggest having this number in that box: (888) 333-4465. That's the line to report a power outage.
"When folks call, they can go through our automated system," said SCE&G spokesman Robert Yanity. "And it's really quicker to do that then actually talking to a real person."
Yanity says the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system allows a problem to be entered into the system directly, compared to a customer service representative who will have to go in and manually put the reported outage in the computer database. "But we always have real people that they can talk to if they need help," said Yanity. "We have a wealth of other resources, too, from text messaging to reporting via your mobile phone, to going on the internet," added Yanity.
Yanity says smart phones have become the latest valuable resource when it comes to reporting and tracking outages. If you cannot use your computer because of power loss, you can use the same website www.sceg.com to report outages through your smart phone. You can also get the latest information on the status of the outage.
"You go on there, you can see exactly what caused the outage and about what time you can get your power restored," said Yanity. "Another resource we push [is] our interactive map because you can go on there and type in your own address and see what power outages [there are], if you're impacted and if there are people around you that impacted."
In 2011, Yanity says a more mild hurricane season meant less power outages. He says Hurricane Irene affected the low country with about 6,000 customers losing power. Yanity says that largest outage caused by tropical storms last season. However in past years, storms have brought enough wind and rain to leave more than 50,000 people without power.
SCE&G officials say that having the necessary resources on hand should help you weather this storm season.
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