MLGW Says It’s Ready For Isaac Remnants

(Memphis) As we all prepare for the effects of Hurricane Isaac, MLGW says none of its employes will be getting any vacation time this week.

Instead, they are going to be ready for whatever the storm brings.

“You don’t really know how you need to respond until the storm hits,” said Glen Thomas, supervisor of communications for MLGW.

Thomas says crews are ready and standing by for whatever Hurricane Isaac’s remnants could bring to Memphis, “The biggest cause of outages is trees, tree-related damage.”

Memphis is expected to get 20 to 25 mile-per-hour winds and gusts that could take down trees and power lines. 

Thomas says 200 people in the field are going to be working double-time, so if outages happen, power can get restored as soon as possible, “If a circuit is out that could be back up in 30 minutes. If there is a tree that’s knocked down several poles it’s going to take several hours.”

Back in 2003, Hurricane Elvis (a straight line wind event) knocked out power for two weeks for some customers.

At one point, 70 percent of Shelby County was in the dark. 

Hurricane Isaac isn’t expect to bring that kind of damage, but as storms go, you never know what it could bring.

“The best thing you can do is have all your ducks in a row, ready to respond and then do so accordingly as safely and quickly as possible,” said Thomas.

If you experience an outage, you can call 901-544-6500.

If it’s an emergency, like a downed power line, call 901-528-4465.