VIRGINIA BEACH — It’s all hands on deck for Dominion Power this week.
Crews are expecting to respond to downed power lines across Hampton Roads due to Hurricane Michael. Not only is Dominion preparing for the storm, but Hampton Roads residents too.
Chase Hill, of Virginia Beach, is stacking up his patio furniture and hiding it in the garage. One of many extra precautions he’s taking before the remnants of Michael come barreling through.
“Make sure the cars are parked away from the trees. I’ve had a lot of friends in the past that have had trees fall and smash cars in the driveway,” said Hill.
Hill said he just expects to lose power at his house, his neighborhood of Kings Grant is filled with large old trees standing next to power lines.
“So the real question is how long? Is it going to be three days? Is it going to be a week? Is it going to be two weeks,” asked Hill.
Dominion Power is already asking customers to be patient, and even more importantly, be safe.
“The winds are what can really wreak havoc on our system,” said Bonita Billingsley Harris with Dominion Power. “We are asking our customers to be prepared for extended outages... So please if you see a downed line don’t touch it, stay as far away from it, at least 30 feet.”
Dominion Power suggests that customers should have their number written down, or saved in their phone. Customers should not wait to look up Dominion's contact information.
“A lot of times we don’t know if your power is out, so we say always report your outages, so we can make sure we get to you as soon as possible,” said Harris.
Hill understands sometimes losing power just can’t be avoided, but when it comes to Halloween decorations, he is taking control.
“Obviously you don’t want your decorations you paid for and you spent all this time putting in the yard ending up in the neighbors’ yard three blocks down the road,” said Hill.
He also acknowledged, no matter what measures are taken, the damage is sometimes inevitable.
“We just planted some flowers about a week ago and we are anticipating those being destroyed by the heavy waters and heavy winds and everything like that,” said Hill.
To report power outages, click here or call 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357).
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