GREENSBORO, N.C. — A potentially dangerous storm is expected to come through the Carolinas starting Tuesday.
High winds and heavy rain are anticipated and it has crews across the Triad on their toes.
Duke Energy Spokesperson, Jeff Brooks, said it's that combination of wind and rain that can lead to outages.
"That can cause trees to come over and cause power outages," said Brooks. "We'll be monitoring that as best we can. We're going to have to take the approach of using our local crews in the community. As we begin to see how outages shape up, we'll redeploy those crews as needed to help in hard-hit areas."
With about an inch of rain in some areas over the weekend, and with the potential of several more inches on top of that on Tuesday, Brooks said there is a greater potential for downed trees and outages.
"We've got thousands of line and tree workers across the Carolinas that are native to this area," Brooks said. "Hundreds are in the Triad, and they are going to be available as soon as those outages start to appear. What we'll have to do then is figure out what communities were not impacted as much by the storm and that will give us the additional resources that can be adjusted or redeployed as needed to hard-hit areas to help the local crews.
Brooks said the other thing to keep in mind, is that steady winds could create a situation where it's not safe to put the bucket trucks up in the air.
He said that could add a delay in being able to get that power restored.
"We're going to do everything we can to restore what we can, but just know that if those wind conditions aren't safe, we'll have to keep our crews on the ground until it is safe to lift the club up in the air," Brooks said. "You're working with high voltage electricity in challenging weather conditions. We're not going to put our crews in a situation where they can't do their work safely, so that's something that we want to prioritize — the safety of our crews. As soon as it's safe to get out there and make repairs, we will certainly be doing that, but that's a factor we have to consider. We want to get everybody back home safely to their families at the end of the day."
Brooks said this is something crews work on year-round. They continue to strengthen the grid to make it more resistant to outages from severe weather.
He said that includes upgrading poles and lines, placing outage-prone lines underground, and installing smart self-healing technologies to limit the number of customers that are impacted by that outage.
As for the roadways, Greensboro crews have been hard at work.
Greensboro Stormwater Management Manager, David Phlegar, said crews spent time preparing and cleaning up stormwater drains on Friday.
"All the preparations we did, making sure all the storm drains were clear, making sure all the roadways were clear in preparation for Saturday's event is essentially still intact today," Phlegar said. "We've got crews helping with leaf duty right now, but we've got our normal routine procedures where we patrol different major thoroughfares and roadways during storms. [We want to] make sure that any potential flooding and any storm drains that might be blocked can be addressed quickly."
Phlegar said their main areas of concern are the thoroughfares and storm drains along the edge of major roads.
"We will make sure those are unobstructed, making sure puddles don't build where people could hydroplane," he said.
For drivers, Phlegar said it's important to keep your eyes open and if you're in the right lane, adjacent to the curb, make sure that you're looking out for those puddles.
For homeowners, he said it would be smart to clean your gutters before Tuesday.
"Keep your gutters clear, keep water from spilling over onto your foundation, keep your foundation clear of any standing water that can migrate under the house," Phlegar said. "Water Damage is the worst thing for a home so make sure water drains properly away from your home, and make sure any leaves, sticks, or debris is not blocking the free flow of water away from your home."
He said because this storm is expected during the work day, they are fully staffed and ready to respond to any issues.
If you experience an outage, go to Duke Energy's website to report it.
You can also call 800-543-5599.
If you see water blocking the roadway in Greensboro, Call 336-373-2489, or go the the City of Greensboro's website.