We're ready for storm season. Are you? - Egyptian Electric
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JUNE 2021
1732 Finney Road • Murphysboro, IL 62966 • 800-606-1505 • eeca.coop
We’re ready for storm season. Are you?
Summer is now in full swing, and
we all welcome the opportunity to
be outdoors and enjoy the warm
weather. Summer months also
make conditions right for danger-
ous storms. These potential weather
events can cause destruction to
our electrical system, but we want
you to know that Egyptian Electric
Cooperative crews always stand ready
to respond should power outages
occur in our area, large or small.
When major storms knock out
power, our crews take all necessary
precautions before they get to work
on any downed lines. Sometimes a
storm pops up or changes direction
without any warning, while other
times it is forecast days in advance When a storm hits After the storm
and follows its predicted course. In If outside, never seek shelter Once the storm is over, follow these
either case, knowing what to do right under an isolated tree, tower or safety tips from Safe Electricity:
before, during and after a storm can utility pole, since lightning tends Never step into a flooded
help to keep you safe. We encourage to strike tall objects. Immediately basement or other standing water.
you to practice safety and prepared- vacate elevated areas such as hills, The water could be covering
ness to protect your family during mountain ridges and peaks. Get electrical outlets, appliances
major storms and outages such as away from ponds, lakes and other or cords. Never touch (or use)
up on a three-day supply of non- bodies of water. Stay away from electrical appliances, cords, wires
perishable food, including canned objects that conduct electricity, or switches while you are wet or
goods, hygiene supplies, First Aid kit, including wires and fences. standing in water.
household items (especially flash- Pick a safe place in your home, After a storm, a downed power
lights and batteries), and a portable, away from windows and doors, for line could be covered by standing
battery-powered radio or TV. family members to gather during a water or debris. Never go near a
thunderstorm. downed line and warn others to
Know the difference between a stay away. If you see a downed
watch and a warning for extreme line, call 9-1-1, and a crew will be
weather such as a tornado or severe dispatched to de-energize the
thunderstorm. A watch means that power and address the problem
the weather is possible in and near safely. 55-13-0031
the area. A warning means that The same safety know-how applies
severe weather has been reported to a downed power line you might
by spotters or indicated by radar. encounter while driving or after
A warning is more serious than a an auto accident. In either case, do
watch and means there is imminent not get out. Instead, call 9-1-1 to
danger to life and property.
Continued on page 20B
JUNE 2021 • ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING 20A
1732 Finney Road
Murphysboro, IL 62966
Business hours/After hours
800-606-1505
24/7 Automated Pay-by-Phone
844-759-3977
Continued from page 20A
Office hours 8 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. M-F
www.eeca.coop report the downed line (pull over a small generator, make sure it is
first if you are driving). If you must rated to handle the amount of power
Board of Directors exit your vehicle after an accident you will need, and always review the
Paul Pyatt, President because of a fire or smoke, make a manufacturer’s instructions to oper-
Paul Hicks, Vice-President solid, clean jump out, landing with ate it safely.
Kevin Liefer, Secretary-Treasurer both feet together. Then make Listen to local news or a NOAA
Rick Asaturian solid hops with your feet together, Weather Radio for storm and
Kevin Bame hopping as far away as you can. emergency information and check
Randall Campbell If your home has been damaged Egyptian Electric’s SmartHub app
Ken Jarrett by a flood, turn off the power to and Facebook page for power resto-
Steve Prest your house if it is safe to do so. Do ration updates.
not turn power off at the breaker After storms, avoid downed power
box while standing in water or in lines and walking through flooded ar-
damp conditions. eas where concealed electricity issues
If the wiring, electrical system or could be located. Allow ample room
appliances have been damaged by for utility crews to safely perform their
water, have your home inspected jobs, including on your property.
by an electrician; also, have Planning for severe storms or
appliances serviced by a qualified other emergencies can reduce stress
technician before using them. and anxiety caused by the weather
In the event of a prolonged power event and can lessen the impact
outage, disconnect major appliances of the storm’s effects. We hope we
and unplug TVs, computers, and don’t experience severe storms this
Shane Hermetz other sensitive electronics. This will summer, but we can never predict
General Manager Mother Nature’s plans. At Egyptian
help avert damage from a power
surge and will also help prevent Electric Cooperative, we recommend
Choose your payment option! overloading the circuits during you act today because there is power
power restoration. That said, leave in planning. From our co-op family to
• At our office lobby, drive-thru, yours, we hope you have a safe and
one light on so you will know when
drop-box, or payment kiosk wonderful summer.
power is restored. If you plan to use
• Mail to: 1732 Finney Road,
Murphysboro, IL 62966
• Set up recurring bank draft or
credit card payments Every month we will have three map location numbers
• Use SmartHub portal, online
or mobile app MEMBER hidden throughout our Egyptian Electric News section.
If you find your location number, that corresponds to
PRIZES
• By phone at (844) 759-3977, using
the one on your bill, call our office and identify yourself
credit card or checking account
• Off-site kiosks located at 2301 N and the page that it is on and you will win a $10 credit
Reed Station Pkwy in Carbondale on your next electric bill.
and 1306 N Market in Sparta
20B ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING • WWW.ICL.COOP
Brownouts: What are they, and why
do they happen? Why are my lights
The lights flicker and dim. The potential damage caused by power
flickering?
television suddenly reboots. Your com- sags and surges. As a rule, these Along with reduced illumina-
puter screen goes dark. As soon as you types of devices cannot regulate the tion from brownouts, lights can
start to wonder when or if you clicked amount of power they receive. flicker or blink for other reasons.
save, the lights become brighter and • Installing point-of-use surge The problem may be:
everything seems to return to normal; protectors. This type of affordable • Light bulbs. If just one light
except, perhaps, that document you surge protector plugs directly into is flickering or blinking, check
were working on. an outlet and works by cutting the that the light bulb is not
When these events occur simulta- power when excessive voltage is loose. A light bulb may also
neously, it could mean that you have detected. While most appliances flicker if it is not the proper
experienced a brownout, which gets are typically unscathed by dips and voltage for the fixture or if
its name from the way incandescent eventual surges in voltage levels you plugged a standard bulb
light bulbs dim and the light appears caused by a brownout, damage can into a dimmer switch. The fix
brown. But what exactly is a brownout, happen, and these devices add a may be as easy as replacing it
and how is it different from a blackout? layer of protection. with the proper bulb.
Where a blackout is a complete • Considering a whole-home surge
shutdown of power, a brownout • Electrical wiring. If the light-
protector, which helps protect all ing in the entire room or the
means energy is reduced by 10 to 25 your home’s electrical devices. While
percent. Brownouts typically occur whole house flickers, it could
more of an investment than the be a sign of a larger issue.
when outdoor temperatures are plug-in variety, it works by diverting
extreme, causing a significant spike Hire a certified electrician to
power from appliances and elec- inspect your home to make
in energy demand. This heightened tronics through a home’s ground-
demand can cause electricity produc- sure your electrical wiring
ing wires. It can also help protect system and connections are
tion to be near or at capacity. The op- appliances from spikes related to
posite action, a temporary reduction up to date. 43-01-0007
lightning strikes and other electri-
in the voltage of electricity (a brown- • Appliances. If the flickering
cal issues. This type of whole-home
out), can help avoid a total shutdown seems to coincide with a ma-
protection should be installed by
of the electrical system. jor appliance drawing power,
a qualified electrician directly into
When energy demand is at its such as a refrigerator, the
your home’s electrical panel(s).
highest, Egyptian Electric and Safe issue may be an overloaded
• Unplugging unessential appliances. circuit or the appliance itself.
Electricity recommend: Taking this simple step can help Have your appliance inspect-
• Unplugging computers and high- reduce the amount of power your ed to make sure it is wired
end electronics to protect them from home uses. If done in multiple for maximum ampacity and
homes, it may help shorten the that the circuit is safe to use.
WHAT IS A length of the brownout.
• Being prepared for an outage.
(Ampacity is the maximum
amount of current that a wire
BROWNOUT? Unfortunately, brownouts are not
always successful in reducing the
can safely carry.)
• An overloaded circuit.
load. Keep your home stocked with
• Meter box or main service
A BLACKOUT emergency items in the event of an
connection issues.
is a complete extended power outage.
• If the whole neighborhood
• Having fully charged portable
shutdown of power. power bank, phones and mobile
is experiencing problems,
contact us to report the issue.
devices on hand. If the power
• For more information
A BROWNOUT goes out or a brownout lasts more
on electrical safety, visit
than a few hours, you can use your
means energy is reduced communication devices to let us SafeElectricity.org.
by 10 to 25 percent. know about the issues you are
experiencing.
JUNE 2021 • ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING 20CThe Power of Operation Round Up
By Adam Schwartz
It started as a simple idea at one can change their minds about about the programs that have been
co-op in South Carolina - just rounding participating. Once folks see the successful. Operation Round Up is a
up the co-op member’s electric bill good work the program does in their perfect example of that cooperative
to the next dollar, and then use it to communities, they almost always spirit. Please consider joining our
do good work in our communities. keep contributing. Once we have efforts today! 49-13-0059
Today, hundreds of electric co-ops enough funds accumulated, we
throughout the country, including will be accepting applications from
Egyptian Electric Cooperative, use organizations in our communities
this idea to help members and where those funds would be useful.
organizations close to home. Over the years, millions of dollars
All co-ops adhere to the seven have been collected and distributed
cooperative principles, including for a wide range of activities. This
“Concern for Community.” The can include stocking the local food
Operation Round Up program is pantry, providing funds for the
the perfect embodiment of this local fire department to purchase Operation Round Up, where
core principle. The average co-op a needed piece of equipment and together we make the difference!
member donates $6 with a maximum dozens of other humanitarian efforts www.eeca.coop
possible contribution of $11.88 per that bring electric co-ops even closer
year. This may not seem like a large to the communities we serve.
amount, but when combined with While each co-op must respond
over 12,000 members, it adds up to the needs of its members, one of
fast to make a significant impact. the great attributes of co-ops across
The program is always voluntary, the country – and the world – is their
and at any time, members willingness to share information
2021 Annual Meeting New Director Mary Homan
Thursday,July 15 Mary Homan
of Chester was
voted in as our
newest board
of director
on April 13,
2021 to fill
the vacancy
of Larry Ebers
of Steeleville, at his retirement,
The 83rd EECA Annual Meeting of the Members will be held drive- the end of 2020. She has been
thru style on Thursday, July 15, 2021. Boxed hot dog and chip dinners
employed by Chester National
will be given and a $20 bill credit to each registered member. Gates
Bank for 38 years, and has been
open for registration at 4:30 p.m., with the business meeting beginning
at 6:00 p.m. Scholarship and door prize drawings immediately part of the Executive Team as
following. Full-time and soon-to-be college students can now apply Treasurer/VP for the past 20 years.
for one of 10 opportunities to win a $1,000 EECA Annual Meeting She is resides in Chester with her
scholarship! Applications are due July 6, and can be found on page 4, husband, Kevin, and together
in office or online at eeca.coop. have one daughter, Danielle.
20D ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING • WWW.ICL.COOP2021 Annual Meeting Scholarship Application
Ten - $1,000 Scholarships to be awarded by drawing and announced following the Annual Meeting on July 15, 2021
Eligibility
The applicant must be a member in good standing of Egyptian Electric Cooperative, or is the depen-
dent of a member of the Cooperative who is in good standing, and must have been a member for
one year prior to July 15, 2021.
All applications must be signed by the applicant and parent or legal guardian (if a dependent).
Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Applications must be returned to the Cooperative
by 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 6, 2021. Applications will be accepted by mail, fax to (888)
554-8181, email to bguthman@eeca.coop or by submitting it in our after-hours dropbox.
The Annual Meeting will be drive-thru style with the business meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Scholarship drawings will take place following. Attendance for student and/or parent is optional for 2021.
The applicant must be enrolled, or have applied for enrollment, in a full-time undergraduate course of
study at an accredited two or four-year college, university or vocational school for the Fall 2021 term.
Scholarship winners will be notified by email provided on application. Winners will have until July 30,
2021 to produce verification of enrollment. Scholarship funds will then be sent directly to recipients
upon verification of enrollment to the Cooperative.
Prior scholarship recipients are ineligible. Prior applicants are eligible.
Applicant Name: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Mailing Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________
City: ____________________________________________________ Zip Code: _____________________________
Phone Number: ___________________________________ E-mail Address: ____________________________________
Date of Birth: ______________________________________________ Age: ___________________________________
College/School Attending Fall 2021: ____________________________________________________________________
High School Graduated From: ___________________________________ Year of Graduation: ____________________
Parent/Legal Guardian Name(s) (only in case of dependent): _____________________________________________
EECA Account Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
EECA Account Number: ____________________________________________________________________________
By signing this application you hereby agree the information provided is true and correct, and permission is granted for Egyptian Electric
Cooperative and associated organizations to use your information and your photograph for publicity purposes.
Applicant signature _________________________________________ Date_________________________________
4 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING • WWW.ICL.COOPYou can also read
