Paden Power Outage Planned Friday for Pole Replacement

Some customers in southern Tishomingo County should plan for a Paden power outage on Friday, Oct. 9, when Tishomingo County Electric Power Association crews replace utility poles and do scheduled maintenance at the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway crossing near Paden. The utility says the outage could last up to six hours.

The cooperative announced the work Thursday in a planned service interruption notice on its Facebook page.

Areas affected by the Paden power outage

According to Tishomingo County EPA, the interruption will affect customers in these areas:

• The Jackson Camp area
• County Road 131
• County Road 134
• County Road 141

The notice gives a duration of up to six hours but doesn’t list a start time. Customers who need the exact timing should call the cooperative before Friday morning.

Why the work is being done

The utility said crews will do scheduled maintenance and replace poles where its lines cross the Waterway at Paden. The cooperative called the repairs necessary upgrades and said crews will finish as quickly and safely as they can, then restore power. It thanked members for their patience.

Planned outages like this let line crews work on de-energized equipment safely, and they usually prevent longer, unplanned outages later. The Paden area is also where firefighters battled spot fires along Highway 30 on Wednesday, so drivers may see a lot of activity along the corridor this week.

How to prepare for a scheduled outage

A planned outage gives households time to get ready. Here are a few basic steps:

• Charge phones, laptops, and portable battery packs Thursday night.
• If anyone in your home relies on powered medical equipment, such as an oxygen concentrator, line up a backup power source or another place to stay during the work window.
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. A full freezer usually keeps food frozen for many hours without power.
• Unplug sensitive electronics, or use surge protectors, to guard against a power surge when service comes back on.
• If you use a portable generator, run it outdoors and well away from windows and doors. Never connect it directly to your home’s wiring without a proper transfer switch, because backfeed can endanger line workers.

If your power isn’t back after the work window ends, report it to Tishomingo County Electric Power Association so crews know to check your line.

For more Tishomingo County news, read our coverage of the Highway 30 fires near Paden and the Iuka Public Library’s new hours.

Source: Tishomingo County Electric Power Association