While North Carolina’s winter weather can be unpredictable, a well-prepared home can make all the difference during snow and ice storms. By taking a few proactive steps, you can keep your home and family safe when the temperature drops. As your local electric cooperative, we’re here to help you feel ready with a few winter prep reminders.
Steps to Take Before Winter Storms Hit
Gather emergency supplies:
Put together an easy-access kit that your family can use in the event of an extended outage. Your kit should include:
- First aid supplies
- Nonperishable food
- One gallon of water per person, per day
- Prescription medicines
- Blankets
- Flashlights
- Batteries
- Matches
- Battery-powered radio
- Baby supplies like formula and diapers
- Extra pet food
- Sand and shovels
Charge cell phones:
Make sure your phone and any additional battery packs are fully charged.
Keep cold air out of your home:
Seal gaps around your doors and windows to help prevent excess cold air from entering your home.
Stock up on firewood:
If you have a wood-burning fireplace, make sure you have enough dry wood on hand to keep you warm.
Follow your co-op on social media:
During winter storms, we’ll post updates on our website, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) accounts. Make sure you’re following @PiedmontEMC.
Keep your info current in SmartHub:
Before winter weather hits, check your SmartHub account to ensure the correct contact information is on file. Having a current email address and phone number listed in your profile allows you to receive outage updates so you know when to expect your power to be restored. You can update your information on SmartHub at pemc.smarthub.coop or by calling us at 800.222.3107.
Bookmark our online outage map:
Add outageviewer.pemc.org:88 to your bookmarks list now so you have easy access to it during inclement weather.
Steps to Take During a Winter Storm
Report an outage:
If you experience an outage during a winter storm, you can report an outage or get updates in the following ways:
Call 800.222.3107 and follow the voice instructions for the reporting system
Use the SmartHub app on your mobile device or internet browser by clicking “Report an issue”
Text #out to 800.222.3107 to report an outage.
Stay safe:
After a winter storm, downed power lines pose serious risks, so it’s crucial to practice caution. Always assume a downed line is live and dangerous and keep a distance of at least 30 feet. You should also avoid driving over downed lines or touching anything in contact with the line, like trees or metal.
You can report downed lines to 911 or call Piedmont Electric at 800.222.3107.