Manager’s Message — September 2019
Dear Co-op Community Members:
While many are still enjoying the summer sun, the leaves are changing colors and fall is beginning to arrive. It is a beautiful time of year in our community.
During summer and fall, people don’t think much about unplanned outages, and neither do we—although we do think about how to better prepare for outages and what our team can do to reduce the number of occurrences and duration during the winter.
Throughout summer, Lane Electric crews work hard to trim trees and make line repairs. This is work done year-round, but with more daylight and favorable weather, crews can make great progress during this time.
I am sure you have not forgotten about this past February—and we surely have not. We have continued cleanup from the damage this snowstorm left behind. We hope we can all learn from our February experiences and become better prepared. So, while we continue to prepare our system for storm season, we also hope you prepare as well.
During the past two months, we have included a shopping list to build your own emergency kit. These lists are on page 8 of your July and August editions of Ruralite, as well as a new list in this edition.
I encourage you to take time to read a great article about preparedness, “Get Ready for the Next Disaster.” This article not only encourages you to be prepared for an emergency, it sheds light on other types of outages we have not yet
experienced on our system, such as earthquakes and widespread wildfires. Preparedness is key, as disasters not only impact your electricity, but the roads and communication infrastructures we are accustomed to.
In the unfortunate event of a disaster, do you know your first responders? When you make an emergency call, you are the first responder, as you are first on the scene. Many recognize police and firefighters as first responders, but the list includes any other organization or person that responds to emergencies, including you, our member. You can also count on your Lane Electric crew to respond, often making the area safe so others can do their jobs.
Should we have a natural disaster, are you prepared to respond?
Please read this month’s article and shopping list. If you have misplaced your July and August copies of Ruralite, visit laneelectric.com to find previous shopping lists. If you want more information, Ready.gov is another great resource.
At Lane Electric, we care about you and your families. We want our members to be disaster survivors, not disaster victims.
Are you prepared?
Sincerely,
Debi Wilson
