APS, SRP ready to respond to outages in case high winds knock out power in Valley
Feb 21, 2023, 3:00 PM | Updated: Feb 22, 2023, 5:14 am
(Facebook Photos/Salt River Project; Arizona Public Service)
(Facebook Photos/Salt River Project; Arizona Public Service)
PHOENIX – Arizona’s biggest suppliers of electricity said Tuesday they’re ready for potential outages that could come with the strong winds expected to rip through metro Phoenix over the next two days.
The National Weather Service said gusts of 45 mph were more than likely to tear around locally and there was a 30% chance of 55 mph winds.
Arizona Public Service and Salt River Project said crews are set to respond to emergency service calls around the state all yearlong.
“Know that we really have prepared ourselves. … We are prepared and we will respond,” Jeff Spohn, APS director of distribution operations and maintenance, told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
“Our business model is structured to respond 24/7, 365 [days of the year]. We’ll work around the clock in order for us to be able to restore if we have an impact.”
APS shares the all day, every day response ethic.
“Our distribution crews do maintenance year-round. … We’re continuously preparing for emergency,” SRP spokeswoman Kathleen Mascarenas said.
Both utilities recommended customers and the public in general be prepared themselves for outages.
“Trampolines, outdoor furniture, outdoor decorations that are metal – those fly into our power line and they cause your neighborhood to be out of power,” Mascarenas said, adding those types of items should be secured or stored indoors.
Weigh down backyard trampolines with sandbags on the base, she said.
Stay away from downed power lines, both said.
And have an emergency kit at the ready, they said.
The kit should have a flashlight, extra batteries, a fully charged phone, a gallon of water per person, a medical kit, medications and nonperishable foods.
“Utilize our outage map center and the outage app,” Spohn said. “They’re continuously updated on estimations of restorations and where the outages are.”
APS also has an online outage map that is frequently updated during power shutdowns.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Taylor Kinnerup and Balin Overstoltz-McNair contributed to this report.
