Craighead Electric makes preparations ahead of ice storm

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Craighead Electric Cooperative has been preparing ahead of the winter weather.

Marty Hook the communications coordinator, said the company has been keeping an eye on the system for almost a week.

Last week, Craighead Electric replaced power poles in Lawrence County, Hook said their power pole supply is still sufficient.

“We have plenty of poles and equipment and everything is ready to run should we get the weather we’re anticipating,” she said.

Hook said in addition to power poles, Craighead Electric is also keeping an eye on transformers and lines.

Vehicles are also checked to make sure they have enough fuel and track machines are operational, in case trucks can’t go out. Once the preparations are made, it’s time to wait and see what happens.

“At this point, we’re just wanting to see how much accumulation we’re going to have and especially the wind as well. Ice and wind with power lines tend to be tricky,” Hook said.

The ice will put weight on the poles and the wind can make it easier for them to get knocked down. For that reason, Hook said the entire company will be on call.

“It’s all hands on deck. When the precipitation starts to fall, we’ll begin working on critical situations,” she said.

Critical situations include lines or poles on driveways or roads or someone in imminent danger, such as entrapment. Another thing is to make sure anyone who calls to report a power pole or line being down can reach someone.

“We have member services reps working from here and working remotely. So, if somebody cannot get into the office, we’re still able to help, even from home,” she said. “Anything we can do to restore power quickly and safely is our priority.”

Hook said once the system passes and as long as there are no critical situations, workers will go out to assess damages.

Hook said anyone who needs to report a power line or outage needs to call 888-771-7772.

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