Duke Energy, Blue Ridge, Laurens Electric ready for snow; who to call if the power goes out

Energy companies across the Upstate are preparing for the winter storm to hit the Southeast.

According to earlier reporting, snow will begin late Friday morning around Around sunset, sleet and freezing rain begin to mix in.

Snow amounts remain variable, but 1-3 inches are still expected for Greenville. Three to six inches of snow is expected in northern Greenville and up into the mountains.

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Duke Energy, Laurens Electric Company and Blue Ridge said they are ready for the coming storm.

Blue Ridge Energy:

According to a press release from Blue Ridge Energy, they will have additional line and wayside crews on standby.

According to the announcement, their crews will respond to power outages in safe outdoor conditions.

Blue Ridge said its control center and member service representatives remain available 24/7. They said members are encouraged to report any outages through their phone lines at 888-258-3743 or by texting UD to 800-240-3400 if they have signed up for TEXT POWER.

Outages can also be reported on their mobile app.

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Duke Energy:

According to Duke Energy spokesman Ryan Mosier, the company devised a plan for the coming storm.

He said the utility changes the plan regularly. Currently they are monitoring weather patterns and for outage requests.

To report a power outage, Duke Energy advises customers to text 57801 (standard text and data charges may apply), use the Duke Energy mobile app or visit duke-energy.com/outages on a desktop computer or mobile device.

Users may also call the Automatic Outage Reporting System at 800.POWERON (800-769-3766).

Laurens Electric:

According to Laurens Electric spokesman Jim Donahoo, they also have a plan in place to respond to whatever the storm brings.

He said the two main focuses of their plans were making sure they have an adequate supply of equipment and a plan if additional field crews need to be added to repair outages.

According to a press release from Laurens Electric, customers experiencing outages or damaged equipment are asked to call 1-866-9RESTORE.

LEC said that substations are repaired first. Distribution substations each serve thousands of members. When a major outage occurs, the local distribution stations are checked first. If the problem can be corrected at the substation level, power can be restored to a large number of people.

Distribution lines are repaired. Main distribution supply lines are then checked if the problem cannot be isolated to the substation. According to the release, the utility lines carry electricity away from the substation to communities and neighborhoods. When power is restored at this point, all members served by this utility line can see the lights come on if there is no problem further down the line.

The final utility lines, called service lines, carry power from the transformer onto utility poles or underground transformers outside houses or other buildings. Line crews resolve the remaining outages by restoring service to the largest number of members.

This article originally appeared on the Greenville News: Blue Ridge, Laurens and Duke braced for winter storm, what to know