Nova Scotia Power to activate Emergency Operations Centre ahead of Lee

HALIFAX, N.S. — Nova Scotia Power is activating its Emergency Operations Centre ahead of the first significant storm expected to impact the province this hurricane season.

The centre will be activated at noon on Friday, Sept. 15, to provide a central place to co-ordinate planning for the utility’s storm response ahead of Lee. It’s staffed with employees from across the company.

Nova Scotia Power said it also working closely with the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office.

“Our team has been monitoring hurricane Lee for several days and using that information to finalize plans, so we’re ready to respond,” said Nova Scotia Power team lead Matt Drover. “Based on the recent weather forecasts, we’re opening our Emergency Operations Centre to ensure we are prepared and crews are in place to manage our storm response.”

Drover noted that high winds will be its biggest challenge with the storm and may affect equipment.

In preparation, the utility is moving power line technicians, forestry teams and others across the province to be ready to respond to outages.

Drover said that crews will be ready to respond as safely and efficiently as possible.

Customers are encouraged to be prepared by monitoring their local weather forecasts and having an emergency kit ready. A full list of safety and storm preparedness tips is available on the Nova Scotia Power website.

Customers can also report outages and get restoration times online or by calling 1-877-428-6004.