Fayette Electric Cooperative Encourages the Community to Prepare During National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month, and Fayette Electric Cooperative is encouraging everyone to take simple steps now to help keep families safe and informed before severe weather or other emergencies occur. 

While storms and emergencies can happen at any time of year, preparing in advance can help reduce stress and improve safety when unexpected situations arise. 
“Preparedness starts long before severe weather is in the forecast,” said Tracy Denton, Director of Marketing, Communications & Training for Fayette Electric Cooperative. “Taking a few minutes now to develop a plan, build an emergency kit and review important safety information can make a significant difference when an outage or emergency occurs.” 

FEC recommends assembling or refreshing emergency supply kits with essentials such as bottled water, nonperishable food, flashlights, extra batteries, first-aid supplies, prescription medications, phone charging devices and copies of important documents. 

The cooperative also encourages everyone to make sure contact information is up to date with their electric provider so they can receive outage notifications and restoration updates when power interruptions occur. 

Generator safety is another important part of emergency preparedness. Portable generators should always be operated outdoors and away from doors, windows, and vents to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Generators should never be connected directly to a home’s electrical system, and all manufacturer safety instructions should be followed carefully. 

In addition to supplies and safety precautions, families are encouraged to discuss emergency plans, including: 
•    Where the family meets if separated. 
•    How they will communicate if cellular service is disrupted. 
•    Who will check on older relatives, neighbors or individuals with special needs. 
•    How they will respond if an outage lasts several hours or longer. 

FEC remains committed to providing reliable electric service and maintaining a strong focus on system reliability. When outages do occur, cooperative crews are prepared to respond safely and restore power as quickly as possible. 

“At Fayette Electric Cooperative, serving our communities means more than keeping the lights on,” Denton said. “National Preparedness Month is a great reminder that working together and planning ahead helps create safer, more resilient communities.” 

For additional outage information, safety resources and cooperative updates, visit Fayette Electric Cooperative’s website at www.fayette.coop or follow the cooperative on social media.