JEA issues instructions and tips for customers during winter weather
MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. – The Jackson Energy Authority is reminding its customers that the winter weather could cause prolonged power outages and is providing some tips for residents during this severe weather.
We will begin seeing our weather deteriorate in 18 hours or less. With the uncertainty of what type of icy precipitation we can expect, the potential for long term power outages remain a real threat. It looks like Sunday, will be the critical day for this. The second head of this monster is the cold temps associated with it. We are looking at dropping below freezing tonight and not seeing temps more than 1 to 2 degrees above freezing for the next 8 days. That many hours below freezing WILL cause problems.
Per my previous post, mark the location of your water meter now. Another good idea would be to take something and stuff inside the back for insulation. Some old towels or blankets will do the trick. The meter is the most susceptible point of your JEA water service to freeze.
In the event of a prolonged power outage and no ability to heat your entire home, dripping faucets will not be sufficient to prevent your pipes from freezing. At that point you will need to have a small continuous stream of water running, and it needs to be every faucet in the house. You should also flush toilets periodically so the supply lines to those don’t freeze. Yes, your bill will be higher, but it will be cheaper than your insurance deductible.
Both of our water treatment plants are on generator backup, and we even brought in backups for those if needed. JEA will keep water flowing throughout this event. Some localized outages could be possible due to repairs of potential water main breaks ,but these would be short in duration.
If you experience a burst pipe in your home, feel free to turn the water off at the meter yourself. If you need assistance from us, call 731-422-7500. We have multiple people on standby this weekend to handle things.
I will do my best to provide updates from JEA if this turns into a mass event like the ice storm of 1994. The scary thing with this storm is the potential it has to be a bigger event than that one. We spent 17 days in 1994 working around the clock to retore everyone. We learned a lot from that storm, along with three major tornadoes that followed from 1999-2008, and we feel good about our readiness to respond. We have prepared for the worst and are hoping for the best!”
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