Huge ice storm coats region, hundreds left without power

As freezing rain and ice moved into the area Monday night, many residents began stocking up with supplies in preparation for Mother Nature's frozen fury. Once Tuesday began, this preparation proved to be wise, as many homes were without power following the winter's storm's initial volley.

Wide power outages were reported in Piggott, including the hospital and numerous residences and businesses. With more winter storms in the forecast for Tuesday night, many expect to conditions worsen before they improve.

In preparation for power outages, the local energy providers began providing their customers with information on what to do in the absence of electricity.

Once power is lost to areas, primary lines which serve the most customers receive service first. This is done to help the most people affected at once. From there, secondary lines, those serving fewer members, receive attention.

Residents without power are instructed to check with neighbors to see if their homes are still receiving electricity. If the neighbors still have power, residents should check their fuse box or circuit breaker to see a problem can be located.

If the outage is determined to affect neighbors as well, residents are encouraged to contact their energy provider and report the outage. Residents receiving power from Entergy may contact them at 1-800-968-8243, while customers of Clay County Electric may call (870) 857-3521.

Outages that occur in severe weather, as well as those that last for an extended period of time, can be a large burden on the electrical systems when power is restored. In order to prevent an overload to the system which could result in another outage, residents are being encouraged to turn off every light except one, turn down thermostats, turn off electric water heaters during outages which last longer than 60 minutes and turn off all unnecessary appliances.

Additional tips include insulating windows and glass doors with blankets, keeping warm through the use of blankets and coats and making sure freezer doors remain closed in order to preserve the cold air for food storage.

When power is restored, persons are being instructed to slowly switch on appliances and lights, while gradually returning thermostats to their normal settings.

Homes that make use of generators during outages need to be certain generators make use of the proper transfer switch, as improper switches can lead to safety problems and difficulty in restoring service.

These switches are used to transfer electric service coming into the home from the inoperative power line to the generator, while separating the generator from the outside utility service. If the transfer switch is not used, backfeed from the generator's voltage on power lines could endanger the lives of utility workers attempting to restore power to the line.