Winter Weather Preparation

With the possibility of a significant winter weather event for this Friday-Sunday, here are some tips to help you prepare for possible outages, staying warm and safe and precautions for avoiding freezing pipes!

What you can do to prepare for possible outages:

• Stock up on a few days worth of essentials - non-perishable food, water, medications

• Have plenty of batteries available for flashlights

• Have phones fully charged prior to event starting

• If charging phones in a running vehicle, make certain the garage is ventilated by opening the door.

• Register any permanent standby generators with DU and make certain an approved automatic disconnect is in place. No doing so can place our crews in grave danger from electricity back-feeding onto power lines.

• Keep freezers and refrigerator doors closed to preserve cold.

• If you are running a portable generator, make sure it is placed OUTSIDE and any appliances or lights plugged directly into the generator. Do not use power strips and in NO instance should you try to tie a portable generator into your home's breaker box.

Reporting power outages

• Call 256-552-1400 and selection Option 1 for power outages and Option 2 for other utility emergencies

• Registered SmartHub users can also report outages via text to 1-844-965-1351. Registered SmartHub users also receive updates on outage restoration.

  • To download visit The App Store or Google Play

  • To sign up and register:

    • https://www.decaturutilities.com/smarthub-tutorials

Tips for staying safe and warm during frigid temperatures

• Set thermostat to the lowest possible level that is comfortable and safe

• Bundle up to offset setting it a few degrees lower

• Make sure space heaters are not placed near combustible materials like curtains or sofa skirts

• Set your ceiling fan to rotate clockwise to keep warm air circulating down to the floor level

• Seal up any cracks or crevices around windows and exterior doors. Even temporary measures like newspaper or covering with plastic will help

Avoid frozen pipes and burst water lines

• Remove and drain hoses, cover outside faucets with insulated cover

• Close foundation vents to keep cold air out from under your house

• Keep a slow drip of water from faucets

• Open doors on vanities located on outside walls to allow warm air to circulate

• Keep your thermostat on at least 55 degrees are gone for an extended period of time

• If you lose water, contact your local utility to have it shut off at the meter BEFORE it thaws

• If you attempt to thaw a frozen internal pipe, do so with a hair dryer or space heater - NO OPEN FLAMES