MEDIA ADVISORY
SRP offers safety tips for monsoon storms
Steps taken to protect power lines and poles from high winds
While a monsoon's heavy rains might bring welcome relief from the Valley's hot and dry summer days, its high winds and lightning can damage SRP's utility poles and power lines. In addition to the temporary inconvenience of a power outage, monsoons can be hazardous events.
SRP has taken steps during the past decade to protect its overhead power line system from storm events by conducting an extensive wood pole inspection and replacement program. Since 2000, more than 5,000 wood poles have been replaced with steel poles and thousands more have been reinforced or treated to help withstand a monsoon storm's high winds. Although much more expensive than wood power poles, steel poles placed strategically in areas particularly vulnerable to high winds can limit the extent of cascading wood-pole failures during monsoon storms.
Despite efforts designed to protect them from the elements, power poles and power lines can still be damaged or toppled by powerful monsoon storms.
"Downed power lines are extremely dangerous," said Jim Davidson, SRP's manager of Safety Services. "Under no circumstances should anyone attempt to move or even approach them. The best thing to do is call your utility company so trained professionals can safely remove and repair the lines."
Davidson offers other monsoon safety tips:
- Never stand in an open or elevated area during a monsoon storm.
- Stay at least 100 feet from any downed power line.
- Never try to help someone trapped by a power line. The line could be energized and endanger your own safety. Instead, immediately call 911 for help. Then call SRP's emergency number, (602) 236-8811, to report the incident.
- If a power line hits your car while you are in it, stay inside the car until professional help arrives.
- If your vehicle catches fire and you must leave it, avoid making contact with the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Jump from the vehicle, landing with both feet together. Shuffle or hop away, keeping both feet in contact with each other until you are at least 100 feet from the vehicle. This may avoid making your body a ground path between energized and grounded areas or objects.
- Do not shower during a storm. Lightning can travel through pipes.
- Do not swim during a storm. Lightning can strike bodies of water.
At home, there are steps people can take to be better prepared for a power outage, Davidson said. Make sure flashlights are functioning properly and place them, or candles, in convenient locations.
Lightning can travel through electric lines and damage electronic equipment. Therefore, when practical, Davidson said to unplug the power cords of all electronic equipment to provide total protection from lightning-induced damage and consider installing surge protectors on electronic equipment.
"Always be on the alert for SRP crews working on storm damage," Davidson said. "Please take precautions to avoid them for your - as well as their - safety."
In preparation for this summer, SRP is taking a number of steps to reduce the number and length of power outages associated with monsoon storms – beginning with a preventative-maintenance program. Some examples:
- Tree-trimming program. Many power outages occur during monsoon storms after trees come in contact with above-ground electric lines. To help prevent these incidents, SRP is actively identifying and trimming trees that are too close to both its transmission and distribution power lines. Customers can eliminate the danger of trees growing into power lines by selecting and planting the right type of tree in the right location. For more information, visit SRP's website at www.srpnet.com. or customers can call (602) 236-8888.
- Evaluating and replacing underground cable. Much of the electric system that serves SRP's customers is buried underground. However, the underground cable can be affected by monsoon rain and lightning. SRP has a significant ongoing effort to replace older cable that is susceptible to inclement weather.
- Diagnostic testing. SRP also has a program to test electric-system equipment with a process called Infrared Thermographic Inspection. This technology helps SRP detect problems in its electrical equipment before they occur. Regular ultrasonic and visual inspections of electric-system equipment are also helping to identify problems before they result in customer outages.
- Increased customer service. Customers who do experience a power outage will find more SRP personnel available to answer their calls this summer. SRP has expanded its Residential Customer Service department to handle emergency calls after hours. The phone number to call during a power outage is (602) 236-8888. In addition, SRP's emergency phone number, (602) 236-8811, is available on a 24-hour basis.
All of SRP's troubleshooters and reactive-maintenance crews are on-call 24 hours to respond to any electric-system problems - including monsoon-storm damage. Valleywide, SRP maintains inventory of parts and equipment necessary to expedite and complete repairs.
- Improved weather forecasting. Because severe weather can result in scattered power outages, SRP relies heavily on its own staff of meteorologists to help predict storm activity. SRP uses weather satellite image loops, the Lightning Detection Network and Doppler weather radar displays to forecast potentially damaging weather. This information allows SRP to respond more quickly to storm damage by placing its maintenance crews on alert in areas where heavy storm activity is likely to occur.
SRP is the largest provider of electricity in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, and the first company in Arizona to receive StormReady certification from the National Weather Service. More information on SRP's safety programs can be found by visiting www.srpnet.com.
