Stay Safe This Hurricane Season

By: Laura Vesco/Eyewitness News 9 | WNCT
Published: May 02, 2008

Hurricane season is right around the corner.

And the winds and torrential down pours that come with it, can cause irritating power outages.

But folks at Progress Energy want our first responders, and everyone in the East, to stay safe.

So Thursday they presented a Live Line Expo in Onslow County, showcasing what can happen if you touch a live line.

During a storm, they have to expect that power lines will be damaged.

"I don't care if this is the first day of a storm, or if it came through two, three, four days later. You will want to stay away from it,” said Danny Bost with Progress Energy. “You can't guarantee a line will stay de-energized."

Folks at home and first responders don't have fiber glass rods or special boots that can withstand thousands of volts.

Plus, power lines can be deceiving.

"These electrical lines do not show any flash of electricity, no color, no visual indicators to know there is electricity on power lines,” Spencer Lee with the Jacksonville Fire Department said.

So if a line lands on your car, stay put. Don’t try to get in or out of it. Don’t touch it.

And if pesky tree limb is covering your powerline, don’t move it.

"It's almost heartbreaking at times when you see situations like that, when someone is trapped and you want to provide help for them but you can't cause you will put yourself in danger," Lee said.

While it can be tough during any type of live line situation, Progress Energy employees say just stay calm and wait for the professionals to handle it.

They also want to remind you not to call 911 if you have a power outage – that’s only for emergencies.

If your power goes out, call their hotline at 1-800-419-6356.