September is National Preparedness Month, and it’s no coincidence that it lands during the busiest stretch of hurricane season. The Atlantic season runs June through November and if you haven’t gotten a plan in place, now is the perfect time.
Being on Both Sides of a Storm
Members here don’t need convincing that storms reach the Piedmont. In July 2025, Tropical Storm Chantal saturated our communities, dropping 5-9 inches of rain and downing trees across our system. More than 10,300 Piedmont Electric members lost power. Crews from neighboring Wake EMC and contract crews worked alongside our lineworkers, and every member was back on by the following evening.
Less than a year before that, our crews were the ones on the road. After Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, Piedmont Electric sent lineworkers to help co-ops rebuild in the North Carolina mountains.
Both are examples of our mutual aid agreements, a cornerstone of the cooperative model. When we send help, it comes back to us. Tropical Storm Chantal is the perfect example. Piedmont Electric crews are ready to respond to whatever weather Mother Nature brings our way and we want to make sure our members are ready too.
Four Steps to Take This Month
- Know Your Risk: Flooding, high wind and falling trees are the most common threats in our service area. Walk your property and look for any dead or leaning trees near power lines and report them to Piedmont Electric.
- Make a Plan: Decide now where your family will meet, how you will reach each other if cell service is spotty and who your out-of-town contact will be. Include pets and livestock.
- Build a Kit: Aim for at least 72 hours of supplies: water, non-perishable food, medications, first aid, flashlights, extra batteries, blankets and a battery-powered radio. Add a portable power bank so a dead phone doesn’t cut you off. Keep your vehicle fueled, since gas pumps need electricity to run.
- Stay Informed: Make sure your co-op can keep you in the loop by using the steps in the next section.
Take Two Minutes to Stay Informed
Our meters usually tell us the power is out before you can call. What they can’t do is send you a restoration update at a phone number we do not have. Take two minutes this month to log in to your SmartHub account and confirm your phone number and email are current. Then make sure you can do these three things:
- Report an outage. Use SmartHub, call 222.3107, or text #out to 800.222.3107 if you’re enrolled in outage alerts.
- Get an update. Text #status to 222.3107.
- Track restoration. Visit pemc.coop to see restoration progress in real time.
When the Lights Go Out, Stay Safe
- Treat every downed line as energized. Stay far back, keep others away and call us at 222.3107.
- Run generators outdoors only, well away from windows and doors. Never in a garage, basement or any enclosed space.
- If the outage runs long, throw out refrigerated food that may have spoiled.
- Photograph any storm damage to your home for insurance purposes.
Find our full storm safety guide at pemc.coop/be-prepared, statewide resources at readync.gov, and federal resources at ready.gov.