Hurricane Isaias: What Alabama Power, MAWSS and Verizon Want Customers to Know About Outages and Water

MOBILE, Ala. — As Hurricane Isaias closes in on the Alabama coast, the companies that keep the lights on, the water running and the phones working across south Alabama say they are ready, and they are asking customers to get ready too. Alabama Power has positioned crews and equipment, the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System is urging customers to store drinking water and know how to make it safe, and Verizon is waiving charges for customers in 10 Alabama counties during the storm.

With forecasters warning of possible long-duration power outages, here is what each utility is telling customers about power, water, sewer and cell service during Hurricane Isaias.

Why outages are a major concern

Isaias strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane on Thursday, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph as of the National Hurricane Center’s 4 p.m. advisory, and forecasters expected further strengthening overnight. Landfall was expected along the Alabama-western Florida Panhandle coast late Friday or early Saturday, though the exact location remained uncertain. Hurricane and storm surge warnings are in effect for coastal Alabama.

Forecasters have said the hurricane’s wind field is expanding and that damaging gusts could reach well inland as the storm accelerates north on Saturday. Downed trees and power lines, damaged utility infrastructure and widespread, potentially prolonged power and communication outages are among the impacts they have warned about, and the National Weather Service has cautioned about the possibility of “long-duration power outages.”

Alabama Power: crews in position

Alabama Power said it has been getting crews ready as Isaias strengthened and moved toward the Gulf Coast.

“We’re adjusting work schedules, positioning crews and equipment, and making sure additional resources are ready to go where they’re needed,” the company said in a news release. “Our teams prepare for storms like this well before the first raindrops arrive.”

The utility encouraged residents to prepare now. “Stay weather aware, make sure you have multiple ways to receive weather alerts and take time to charge phones and other essential devices before conditions begin to deteriorate,” the release said.

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company, serves customers across the southern two-thirds of the state, including much of Mobile and Baldwin counties. Some areas of south Alabama are served instead by electric cooperatives such as Baldwin EMC, or by municipal utilities, and customers of those providers should follow their own utility’s outage reporting instructions.

Alabama Power safety tips and tools:

• Shelter safely. If caught in a storm, take shelter immediately inside a sturdy building, away from windows, doors and electrical appliances.
• Avoid electrical hazards. Stay away from conductors of electricity, appliances, metal objects and water.
• Sign up for outage alerts. Customers can text “Enroll” to APCOUT (272688) from a cellphone registered to their Alabama Power account.
• Check the outage map. Alabama Power’s online outage map can be searched by county, ZIP code, city or municipality and includes a live weather radar feature.
• Report outages. Customers can report an outage online, through the Alabama Power mobile app or by calling 800-888-2726.

Utilities generally cannot send line crews up in bucket trucks while winds remain at or near tropical-storm strength, so restoration work typically begins in earnest after the storm passes and conditions are safe. Customers should treat any downed line as energized and dangerous, keep children and pets away, and report it rather than trying to move it.

Customers who plan to use a portable generator should never run it indoors, in a garage, on an enclosed porch or near doors, windows or vents, because exhaust contains carbon monoxide, an odorless gas that can kill. Generators should never be plugged into a home’s wiring without a properly installed transfer switch, since that can send electricity back into power lines and endanger utility workers.

MAWSS: plan on continuous service, but store water

The Mobile Area Water and Sewer System, which provides water and sewer service in the Mobile area, said it expects to provide continuous water and sewer service during the storm. Even so, the utility is urging customers to take precautions so they have enough safe drinking water on hand.

How much to store: MAWSS recommends a rule of thumb of one gallon of water, about 4 liters, per person per day, for at least three days. People will need more in hot weather or during strenuous activity, and nursing mothers, young children and family members who are ill also need more. Customers should not forget water for pets.

What to store it in:

• Use clean containers, preferably quality plastic rather than glass, to reduce the chance of breakage.
• Avoid paper containers such as milk cartons, which weaken over time.
• Do not use containers that once held chemicals or other toxic materials.
• Fill bathtubs, sinks and other available containers to supplement stored water.

MAWSS also noted that a home’s hot water heater can supply a good amount of water in an emergency. Disinfected tap water stored in clean, airtight containers in a cool place should remain safe indefinitely, the utility said, though it suggests replacing an emergency supply every six months to keep it fresh.

If water service is disrupted or a boil water order is issued

MAWSS advises customers who lose water service to consider the water unsafe to drink until told otherwise. If drinking water contamination is indicated, health officials may issue a boil water order.

Under a boil water order, any water used for drinking should be brought to a boil for at least three minutes. If power is available, the boiled water should then be refrigerated.

Water can also be disinfected with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets or unscented household chlorine bleach, though MAWSS noted these treatments only kill bacteria. For bleach, the utility gives these measurements:

• Clear water: Add 1/8 teaspoon of unscented bleach per gallon.
• Cloudy water: Add 1/4 teaspoon of unscented bleach per gallon.
• Mix thoroughly and let the water stand for about 30 minutes before using it.
• The water should smell slightly of bleach. If it does not, discard it.

A boil water order stays in place until officials determine the water is safe to drink. MAWSS said it will share that information through local media, its social media accounts and its website.

Customers who lose service or notice any failure in the water or sewer system should call MAWSS’s 24-hour customer care line at (251) 694-3165.

Grinder pump customers need a plan

A small percentage of MAWSS sewer customers are connected to the sanitary sewer system through a grinder pump that MAWSS does not own. These pumps run on electricity from the home, so when the power goes out, the pump stops working.

According to MAWSS, the tank that houses a grinder pump will generally hold about 24 hours of normal household wastewater, but customers should limit water use inside the home until power returns. During an extended outage like one that can follow a hurricane, the utility says customers must make other arrangements for sanitary service. The options it lists are:

• Emergency power. A generator can run the pump, but the pump must first be disconnected from the home’s electrical service so it can be powered separately. MAWSS says the most common method is to have a licensed electrician install a transfer switch at the home’s service box.
• Pump-out service. Customers can arrange for a septic tank service company to empty the tank as needed. To save money, neighbors may be able to negotiate a group price, since a standard service truck can empty 15 to 20 tanks in one trip.
• Relocating. Customers can stay elsewhere until power is restored.

“If you don’t implement one of the above options, you risk an unhealthy situation,” MAWSS said, urging grinder pump customers to have a plan before an emergency.

Verizon waives charges in 10 Alabama counties

Verizon said it is offering unlimited domestic calling, texting and data from Oct. 9 through Oct. 15 to affected customers in parts of Alabama, Florida and Mississippi as Isaias approaches.

The offer applies automatically to active postpaid and small-business customers with billing addresses in the covered counties. In Alabama, those are Baldwin, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Escambia, Geneva, Mobile, Monroe and Washington counties. The offer also covers Bay, Escambia, Holmes, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and Washington counties in Florida, and Forrest, George, Greene, Harrison, Jackson, Perry and Stone counties in Mississippi.

Customers of Verizon Value brands, including Verizon Prepaid, Straight Talk, Total Wireless, Tracfone, Simple Mobile, Walmart Family Mobile, Page Plus, Net10 and SafeLink, will have their service end dates extended through Oct. 15. Customers do not need to take any action, and eligible overage charges will be credited automatically, the company said.

Verizon said its response teams are on standby with mobile and satellite assets, portable generators and other equipment. According to the company, all of its regional macro cell sites have backup battery power, nearly all have generator power, and more than 1,000 mobile generators are available for deployment. Its Frontline Crisis Response Team is available around the clock to provide communications support to public safety agencies at no cost. Customers can find storm updates and store hours through Verizon’s Emergency Resource Center online.

A quick utility checklist before the storm

• Charge phones, power banks and other devices, and keep a car charger handy.
• Sign up for your electric utility’s outage alerts and save its outage reporting number in your phone.
• Store at least three days of drinking water, one gallon per person per day, plus water for pets.
• Fill bathtubs and large containers for washing and flushing.
• Keep unscented household bleach and a measuring spoon on hand in case a boil water order is issued.
• If your home uses a grinder pump, decide now whether you will use a generator with a transfer switch, arrange pump-out service or stay elsewhere.
• Have a battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio in case cell service is interrupted.
• Never use a generator indoors, and never plug one directly into household wiring.

For the latest on the storm itself, residents should follow the National Hurricane Center, the National Weather Service office in Mobile and their county emergency management agency.