Dominion Cautions: Despite a Weakened Isabel, Extensive Power Outages Likely

September 17, 2003

RICHMOND, Va. - Dominion Virginia Power cautioned customers Wednesday that despite being downgraded, Hurricane Isabel will be forceful enough to uproot trees, sway power lines and snap utility poles, causing widespread power outages.

"Although Isabel is now weaker than it was earlier this week, she's still very powerful and is predicted to strike the heart of our service area," said Jimmy D. Staton, senior vice president-Operations. "The company expects a significant number of lengthy outages from tree damage, broken poles and downed power lines. We will begin restoration activities as soon as we safely can."

Hurricane Isabel was a Category 2 hurricane Wednesday morning with winds of 96 to 110 mph. Excessive winds, combined with the saturated ground across Dominion's service area, are likely to cause extensive tree damage and, in turn, damage to the company's distribution system.

Dominion has amassed a restoration workforce of 7,000, including Dominion line crews, contractors and line crews from seven southeastern utility companies. Out-of-state crews began arriving Wednesday at staging areas across Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.

Additionally, the company is taking preventative measures to protect its employees and equipment. On Tuesday, the company placed sandbags at four electric substations in flood-prone areas in Hampton Roads and the Outer Banks. Also, the company used its automated phone system to call about 10,000 medical alert customers and urge them to make alternative arrangements for care in advance of any possible outages. On Wednesday, company employees took a 45-minute "timeout" to discuss safe work practices during restoration.

Isabel is expected to make landfall late Thursday morning along North Carolina's Outer Banks. It is predicted to then churn slightly northeast, through Southeastern Virginia, over Richmond and into Northern Virginia. Hurricane Isabel's enormous size is expected to affect nearly all of Dominion's service area.

Dominion reminds its customers to call toll free 1-888-667-3000 to report outages or downed lines. The company also reminds customers to stay away from downed power lines. The company's outage reporting system can handle 100,000 calls an hour. Using the system's voice response unit is the quickest way to report an outage or downed power lines.

Dominion urges its customers to pay attention to weather reports and, if Hurricane Isabel's storms near, take common-sense steps to prepare for possible outages:

  • Have a good supply of fresh batteries for flashlights, clocks and radios.
  • Have several gallons of freshwater on hand. This is especially important for those who rely on well water.
  • If you normally wash your clothes on the weekend, do them earlier this week before the storm.
  • Have a good supply of canned and other non-refrigerated foods available.
  • Make sure prescription medications are filled.
  • If the power goes out, turn off major appliances such as heat pumps, water heaters and stoves. Unplug other appliances such as TV's, stereos, microwaves, and computers. This will prevent damage to the appliance and possible overloads to the company's system when power is restored.
  • Disconnect cable lines from TVs and stereos and phone lines from computers. This will prevent lightning damage to these expensive items.
  • Leave one lamp or light on so you can tell when power is restored.
  • Open refrigerators and freezers as little as possible to keep contents cold.
  • If using portable or camp-type stoves or lanterns for cooking and lighting, make sure the area is adequately ventilated.
  • Do not hook portable generators directly to the electrical system of your home. Electricity could backfeed into power lines endangering repair crews. Either have a qualified electrician perform that work or plug directly into the generator with the proper-sized extension cords.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio consisting of 24,000 megawatts of generation, 6.1 trillion cubic feet equivalent of natural gas reserves, 7,900 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline and more than 960 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. Dominion also serves 5 million retail energy customers in nine states. Additional information about Dominion is available on the Internet at www.dom.com.

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