Be Ready for Unplanned Outages
BE PREPARED FOR WILDFIRES
As wildfires become more frequent in our service territory, we ask that members check out these resources to assist them to prepare for a wildfire, as well as how to prepare for a power outage:
Routt County Emergency Alerts: www.routtcountyalerts.com
Moffat County Emergency Alerts: https://member.everbridge.net/819965091381281/login
How can I stay up to date on news from YVEA?
Please follow us on Facebook or our website at yvea.com. You can also sign up for SMS text messaging through your Smart Hub account. If you should need assistance in setting up your account, please contact member services at 970-879-1160. We ask you to please be patient with us. We will update everyone as soon as we have the information we need to provide a clear, factual information to our members.
BE SNOWSTORM READY
Weather can turn quickly. Are you prepared for waiting out a winter storm without power? Here are a few useful tips to get you prepared.
1. Have a safety kit prepared before the storm approaches. Don't be left to get whatever is left at the grocery store as a storm is approaching. Be proactive and prepared could save your life: https://www.weather.gov/oun/safety-winter-safetykit
2. Sign up for local emergency alerts: Moffat County https://member.everbridge.net/819965091381281/login Routt County https://member.everbridge.net/892807736727602/login Carbon County, WY https://www.carbonwy.com/List.aspx
3. Be storm safe! Keep away from power lines. Stay at least 35 feet away from fallen power lines and anything they are touching. Call 911 and let them know about the downed power line. Avoid electrical shock in flood areas, Don't go into flooded areas or use any electrical equipment or electronics that may have been submerged. Have a qualified electrical inspector check the electrical system. For more tips and tricks, head to https://safeelectricity.org/public-education/tips/be-prepared-for-severe-storms/
Please check your breakers at your property and below the meter (if applicable) before calling in an outage. This is important because if a YVEA crew is dispatched and the outage is due to a tripped breaker or fuse, you could be charged for the service call.
To report outages please call the local or toll free numbers below:
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970-879-1160 or Toll Free: 888-873-9832
The process of restoring power:
Whenever a storm or other incident causes damage to Yampa Valley Electric Association's electrical distribution system, its primary goal is to get the power back on to everyone in the quickest and safest fashion possible.
Yampa Valley Electric Association follows a restoration process that is used by most utilities throughout the industry:
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YVEA's first priority is public safety, so crews are sent to remove damaged power lines from the roadways first.
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After that, substation power is restored. Sometimes service to hundreds of members can be restored immediately by replacing a fuse on a substation transformer.
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Next, the major distribution feeders are repaired. These are the power lines that come out of a substation that have three wires resting on a crossarm.
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Tap lines are repaired next. Tap lines carry power to groups of homes from the distribution feeders. You may see your neighbors’ lights come on while yours remain out. This happens when a tap line is repaired, but there is still damage to your individual lines, so your home cannot receive power.
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Finally, individual service lines are repaired.