THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 12, 1996 TAG: 9607120596
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 49 lines
Imagine life without electricity.
That's the advice of emergency planners for residents getting ready for Bertha - whether it's still a hurricane or just a big thunderstorm by the time it sweeps over Hampton Roads - probably early Saturday.
``Even tropical-storm-force winds may give us power disruptions,'' said Jim Talbot, deputy coordinator of emergency services in Norfolk. ``People need to try to prepare for possibly a prolonged period without power.''
That means planning for everything from having food that doesn't need to be cooked or refrigerated to keeping a hand-operated can opener available. And then there are issues such as fuel - gas pumps don't operate - and money - ATMs need electricity.
The concern, Talbot said Thursday, is that gusty winds will overspread the region for 10 or more hours, bringing down a lot of limbs and possibly uprooting some trees.
``We have had an unusually heavy foliage summer,'' Talbot said, ``and we have not had a tree trimmer storm in many years.''
As that foliage comes down, it might take out power and telephone lines, as well as television cable service lines.
Faced with that, Virginia Power and North Carolina Power are calling in reinforcements.
``We'll work as hard and as fast as we can to get service restored,'' said Junius Williams, a utility spokesman.
``Because of the winds, there probably will be some damage,'' Williams said. ``So we have additional employees coming in from Richmond and Northern Virginia to assist in storm restoration.''
Technicians first will focus on fixes that restore service to the most customers. After that, it's a matter of just how many lines have been pulled down for individual homes and businesses. There more there are, the longer repairs will take.
Numerous contractors also have been asked to lend a hand should the need arise, Williams said.
A second, toll-free number also is available for customers to report outages. In addition to the usual ``lights out'' number, 858-4660, customers can call (888) 253-6673.
``They should call and report it if their lights go out,'' Williams said. ``But once they've called, there's no need for them to continue to call.''
The utility also has contacted all customers with special medical needs.
``We have told them they should take measures to assure for their well-being,'' Williams said.
KEYWORDS: HURRICANE BERTHA ELECTRICITY by CNB