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Washington St. Tammany Electric Cooperative is closely monitoring the path and potential impacts of Ida as it develops, preparing to respond quickly and safely should outages occur.

Line technicians are prepping trucks with all necessary supplies and materials for any outages that may occur as a result of the storm. System operators monitor the WSTE power system and weather on a daily, 24-hour basis and all other employees are on high alert, ready to respond to member needs, including the cooperative’s member/customer service contact. Additional mutual assistance is on standby. Parts of the Storm Plan have been activated.

WSTE urges members to act now to make preparations to remain safe and comfortable in the event of an outage.

How you can prepare:

• Assemble an emergency kit. It should include at least a three-day supply of water, non-perishable food, medication, first aid supplies, a flashlight, weather radio and extra batteries. Include a list of emergency contacts.
• Charge your cell phone and have external, backup power sources charged.
• Develop an evacuation plan in case it’s needed. Communicate the plan to your family. Include pets or livestock in your plan.
• Secure outdoor items. Safely store lawn furniture, decorations, toys, garbage cans and other items that can be brought indoors.
• Close windows and doors in the event of high winds.
• Fuel up. Fill up your vehicles before the storm as a loss of power could put affect gas stations.
• Consider having supplies handy for your propane or charcoal grill. Be sure to grill outdoors in well ventilated areas for safety.

Keep your WSTE outage reporting number handy: 1-866-672-9773. Members can also report outages on the SmartHub mobile app, available for free on app stores.

As a reminder, if heavy rains and strong winds lead to downed lines, stay away. Contact with downed lines can be dangerous, even deadly.

Report downed power lines to WSTE at 1-866-672-9773 or call 911 immediately.