Hurricane Dorian In Virginia: Preparing For Power Outages

NORFOLK, VA — Tropical storm-strength winds reaching 75 miles an hour are expected to take a swipe at coastal and eastern Virginia overnight into Friday as Hurricane Dorian cruises past the state. The National Weather Service in Wakefield expects southeast Virginia to endure life-threatening storm surge, heavy rain and strong winds beginning Thursday night. The Virginia Beach area is under a tropical storm warning with winds of 40 to 50 mph expected, and gusts of 60 mph, as well as a tornado watch until 7 a.m. Friday.

High winds for several hours, plus the possibility of tornadoes, means Virginians need to be prepared for power outages.

A tropical storm warning covers the area from the Virginia border with North Carolina to Fenwick Island, Delaware, as well as the Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point southward and Tidal Potomac River south of Cobb Island. A tropical storm watch means "tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area within 36 hours," according to the National Hurricane Center.

A storm surge warning is in effect for the area between Poquoson, Virginia and the Little River Inlet in South Carolina. This includes the Hampton Roads region. A storm surge warning means "there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours."

Expected wind gusts into Friday are:

• 65-75 MPH along VA Beach coast
• 55-65 MPH Hampton Roads
• 50-60 MPH Lower Eastern Shore
• 35-45 MPH I-95 Corridor (Richmond Metro)

MORE HURRICANE COVERAGE:

• Hurricane Dorian Flooding, Wind Threats Continue; 4 U.S. Deaths
• Hurricane Dorian: Time To Prepare Virginia Homes, Families
• NoVA First Responders Join Hurricane Dorian Relief Efforts

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How to Prepare For and Report Power Outages

In preparation for potential power outages, individuals should prepare or update their emergency kits. Ensure you have flashlights, batteries, and other items to endure periods without power.

• Turn the refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting in anticipation of a power outage. Open the door only when necessary and close quickly. Frozen food in a half-full freezer should remain safe for up to 24 hours, and in a full freezer, up to 48 hours.
• During a power outage use flashlights and battery-powered lanterns for light. Avoid using candles which pose a fire risk.
• Ensure a supply of water for sanitary purposes such as personal cleaning and flushing toilets. Fill a bathtub or other large container with the water. This is particularly important for those whose water runs off of an electrical system.

Dominion Power:

• Report a power outage and check the status on an outage.
• Or call 866-366-4357.
• Northern Virginia outage map.
• Outage safety and preparations.
• Outage FAQ.

NOVEC:

• Report power outages.
• Or call 703-335-0500, 888-335-0500.
• Northern Virginia outage map.

Gather Supplies to Shelter in Place

• Water (1 gallon of water per person per day for 3 days)
• Nonperishable food (3-day supply)
• Manual can opener
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Radio and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Prescription medications, at least a 3 day supply (as well as a list of what you take, why you take them, and their dosage)
• Non-prescription medications, such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids, or laxatives
• Medical supplies (Oxygen, medication, scooter battery, hearing aid and batteries, mobility aids, glasses, etc.)
• Infant formula/babyfood, bottles, diapers, wipes
• Entertainment - books, toys, puzzles for children
• Supplies for service animals or pets (food, water, medicine, leash, collar, harness, veterinary info)
• Sleeping bag or blankets

Protect Your Food

To protect your food, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. Food will stay frozen for 36 hours or more in a fully-loaded freezer if you keep the door closed. A half-full freezer will generally keep food frozen for 24 hours. Consider freezing containers of water ahead of time. The blocks of ice will help keep your food remain frozen longer.

For more information on keeping food safe during a power outage, visit the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: ABCD's of Keeping Food Safe in an Emergency.

Protect Appliances and Electronic Equipment

Many home electronics are sensitive and can be damaged during a power outage. Here are some precautions you can take to protect electronics:

• Purchase equipment with built-in surge protection or a battery-powered back-up system.
• Use electrical surge suppressors or arresters on your electronic equipment on properly grounded circuits. Most are designed to be plugged into a wall outlet.
• Plug your computers and other sensitive equipment into a separate, grounded circuit to isolate them from fluctuations caused by major appliance restarts.
• During a power outage, turn off all appliances, including your furnace, air conditioner, and water heater to avoid overloading circuits when power is restored to all appliances at once. Leave one lamp on so you will know when your service is restored.

Maximize Your Cell Phone Battery

Cell phones can be a critical lifeline during a storm. AT&T shared five tips to help keep your mobile devices charged when you need them most:

1. Use a battery backup pack. External battery packs range in size from as small as a lipstick tube to as big as a paperback book. The smaller ones are good for topping off a small smartphone battery, while the larger, higher-capacity packs can keep your phone going for days or be used to charge multiple devices.
2. Use a car charger. If you don't have a back-up battery pack and you lose power at your home, consider charging your smartphone with a car charger. Your car battery will still have life long after your cell phone doesn't.
3. Use your laptop as a back-up generator. While there's time before a storm arrives, fully charge your laptop. Then don't use it. That way, if you lose power, you can plug your phone or tablet into the laptop via the USB port and charge it.
4. Use a power inverter. If you need to power up something a little bigger than your cell phone, like a laptop or tablet, a power inverter might be useful. The inverter can be used to convert DC power from your car battery into AC juice for devices you normally plug into a wall outlet.
5. Extend the life of your phone battery. Putting your smartphone in power-save mode reduces screen brightness and turns off the touch key light and vibration mode. Turning off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and deleting apps you don't use will also extend your phone's battery life. Put your phone in Airplane Mode, which will prevent you from using your features, but it will save battery power. Also, texting burns less power than a phone call.