MLGW is prepared for remnants of Isaias

Damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and flooding are possible

MLGW is prepared for damaging winds, heavy rainfall and possible flooding on Saturday as Hurricane Isaias makes landfall.

"We are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst," says President & CEO Doug McGowen.

We are in close contact with the National Weather Service (NWS) and local emergency agencies.

MLGW has nearly 65 crews ready to complete damage assessments and make repairs and restore power to all customers safely and as quickly as possible. We can ask for help from additional contractors if necessary. We have a full complement of tree trimming crews available to clear debris. Working in challenging conditions on complex tasks, crews will continue efforts around-the-clock to restore power to customers, some of whom may experience extended outages.

Despite significant progress in our tree trimming and outdated infrastructure replacement, gusty winds above 45 mph combined with heavy rains can saturate the ground and set us up for outages caused by falling trees. 

While we will do all we can to prepare and respond to any impacts, we ask our customers to take the time now to be prepared later:

Secure items outside that can blow around.

Store enough nonperishable food, water and medicine to last up to three days.

Let's work together to keep our families and community safe during what has the potential to be a damaging storm.

Storm facts:

Replacing poles is a major construction job. Each power pole takes a crew an average of 8 hours to repair, and for the safety of our employees and the public, this work can include closing roads and directing traffic, requiring coordination time with law enforcement and others.

MLGW prioritizes where crews will be sent to restore power:

Hospitals, critical flood control pumps and other facilities with large community impact

Public safety hazards (power lines down, poles down)

Areas with large numbers of customers out of power

Scattered, smaller outages

Safety is a top priority and MLGW provides tips for customers to stay safe.

If the power goes out...

Check to see if the lights are out in neighboring homes - if so, it's likely a larger outage. Access the MLGW outage map via mlgw.com or the MLGW app.

Report the outage on the MLGW app or by calling 544-6500.

Visit https://www.mlgw.com/outagecenter for more tools.

If stormy weather knocks down a power line…

Stay away and call MLGW at 528-4465.

Assume the line is "energized" and stay away and warn others to do the same.

Do not remove fallen tree limbs or other debris from power lines. Tree limbs and other objects can conduct electricity that can shock anyone coming in contact with them.

MLGW urges customers to check on family, friends and neighbors who may experience outages.