NEMA Field Representatives are engaged in emergency preparedness and recovery efforts in all regions of the United States to help mitigate electrical hazards before, during and after natural disasters. They maintain relationships with local inspectors and city officials offering education, technical guidance, and supply-chain outreach.  They provide intelligence reports on power outage status, electrical equipment, and product needs as they arise.  And they field questions from the insurance industry, the enforcement agencies, and building owners related to their particular needs.

There are currently three named storms in the Atlantic and three named storms in the Pacific. Four of these storms are of concern at this time (see below). NEMA Southern Region Field Representative Bryan Holland is leading the response to Hurricanes Florence and Isaac. NEMA Western Region Field Representative Mike Stone is leading the response to Hurricane Olivia and Typhoon Mangkhut. Emergency Management contacts in the affected regions have been identified along with state and regional power companies.

1. Hurricane Florence is forecasted to remain a strong Category 4 storm as it makes landfall somewhere along the NC coast very early on Friday morning. The storm is currently 400-miles across so impacts will be felt well south and well north of the center of circulation. NEMA Members should anticipate state-wide power outages in SC, NC, and along the coast in GA and VA. Downed-power lines, flooded ground-mount transformers, and significant damage to the electrical infrastructure should be expected. In addition, we should anticipate significant storm surge all along the coast, especially north of the storm’s landfall. Inland flooding will also be significant in SC, NC, and VA as the storm stalls over these states on Friday through Sunday.
2. Hurricane Isaac is forecasted to impact Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands as the storm tracks south of the islands on Friday and over the weekend.
3. Hurricane Olivia is forecasted to make landfall on the Hawaiian Islands overnight on Tuesday as a strong tropical storm.
4. Typhoon Mangkhut is currently sitting on top of the island of Guam with winds of 105-mph with significant impacts felt in the Northern Mariana Islands. I have a single contact in each of these American Territories and will send them NEMA storm reconstruction guidance this week.

Help NEMA Promote Electrical Safety During Disaster Recovery

NEMA continues to work with the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) on targeted, multi-channel outreach and education in the affected regions. For all those residents and businesses impacted by the brewing superstorms, not enough can be said about electrical safety as they start the clean-up process. That's why NEMA has developed a Storm Reconstruction Toolkit that includes banners and images for your unlimited use on your company Websites, email, and social media outlets. We are asking all Members, media contacts, and channel partners to help us promote electrical safety. NEMA is also collaborating with many electrical associations, manufacturers, and distributors to offer disaster recovery resources and technical guidance.

Outreach Tools:

• Please feel free to download and post across your platforms as you deem appropriate
• Direct link to.PDF of free water-damaged equipment guide
• Link to NEMA Storm Reconstruction Toolkit

Webinar:  Contact NEMA if you are interested in conducting a joint safety webinar on how to evaluate water-damaged electrical equipment.