BLACKSBURG, Va. – Ice is expected across the region, and that means the potential for power outages.
“Those freezing conditions, they can definitely impact service reliability,” said Ashley Workman with Appalachian Power.
But if you do have a power outage, it’s important you have the right items with you at home to stay warm and safe.
I stopped at Northwest Ace Hardware in Blacksburg to talk about what they see during winter weather.
“People that have lived here for their entire life know what they need to get, know what they need to prepare for and people that just moved to town come and ask us a lot of questions,” said Michal Mandzak, a manager at Blacksburg Northwest Ace Hardware.
He said customers most often buy propane, blankets, ice melt, and shovels, but said there are important items many forget.
“Heat tape that you put on your pipes underneath your house, so they don’t freeze, or a spigot sock which covers your outdoor spigot to make sure it doesn’t freeze,” Mandzak said.
Workman said with any winter storm predicting ice, power outages can be expected
“We’re aware of icy conditions that could be heading our way, and we want to assure our customers we are prepared to respond to any outages that may occur,” Workman said.
She also said they have crews set in place to respond as fast as possible
“All of our crews are on alert, packed, prepared and ready to respond to any outages that may come our way.”