Meriwether Lewis Prepares for Hurricane Francine

Power and Broadband teams ready to serve in case of outages

(September 12, 2024 – Centerville, TN) As remnants of Hurricane Francine approach the Meriwether Lewis service area, our crews are on standby and ready to jump to action in the event of major outages. Our power and broadband teams have supplies ready, trucks fueled, safety gear prepped and chainsaws sharpened to respond and serve members quickly. MLEC hopes that the extra preparation will not be needed, but as an electric cooperative, the planning will allow us to better fulfill our duty of providing safe, low-cost and reliable power and broadband.

In times of impending storms, MLEC encourages members to review emergency plans, especially if someone has a medical condition that requires electricity. Please put safety first during outages and remember these pieces of information:

• If you do not have electric service or know of someone who does not have electricity, please call your local office.  Have your phone number, address and name on the MLEC account ready. Call volume may be high, so you may receive an automated message or busy signal. Email and social media are not linked to our outage management system, so these should not be used to report issues.

• Contact MLEC if you see power lines on the ground or caught in trees. Do not try to move them. If touched, they could cause electrocution or serious injury.
• Use extreme caution when using a generator. If you own a generator, contact MLEC. A generator can send electricity back through electric lines and electrocute linemen or others involved in restoration efforts. See www.mlec.com/generators for proper generator installation and use.
• Keep refrigerators and freezers closed as much as possible to retain the inside temperature.
• If the weatherhead at your home is torn down, an electrician will need to repair this before MLEC can restore power.
• If you are an MLConnect subscriber and power has returned but Internet has not, unplug the router from the power source for a few minutes instead of using the reset button. If this does not restore service, submit a ticket online at www.mlec.com/mlconnect/contact-us/. Or, call your local MLEC office; then press OPTION 3, then OPTION 2. Once power lines are back in service, broadband crews will begin repairing fiber.

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