The Miami Valley could see severe storms later today.
AES Ohio says that they have a plan and are encouraging customers to be prepared.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6 p.m., AES Ohio said there are 47 utility workers in the Dayton metro area.
Andrew Jacobs is the manager of line operations at AES Ohio. He said that when there is an emergency, crews are all ready to go to work.
“It’s all about planning and preparing and being ready for that storm,” said Jacobs. “They all respond 24 hours a day. All come in at a moment’s notice. They are on call. We make a call out, and they come in and do the work.”
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News Center 7’s Gabrielle Enright says crews are ready to deal with cold and hot weather, as well as storms during all four seasons.
When the job is bigger than expected, Jacobs says AES Ohio has a backup plan.
“After we exhaust our internal resources, we go out to contractors to bring them in,” he said.
However, before they arrive, the utility company says it needs customers’ help.
There are about 300,000 AES Ohio customers just in the Dayton metro area.
Jacobs told News Center 7 that people report problems like power outages and downed lines.
“We want you to be at least 20 feet away from those lines,” he said.
That’s because those wires could still be live, and getting close could be deadly.
“The biggest thing about this, it’s about 7,200 volts,” Jacobs added.
He said that people also need to give AES Ohio crews time and room to work.
It is also a good time for your family to have a plan just in case severe weather hits and you are apart.
Put together an emergency kit that includes things like water, a flashlight, and food that does not need to be refrigerated.
Storm Center 7 continues to track this system and will provide additional updates.
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