Storms Thursday night and Friday afternoon were an unsettling reminder for people in the region who had to endure days without electricity after a violent storm blew through the area June 29.
We know there has been lots of talk about being ready for ... THE NEXT TIME ... a big storm hits. Turns out no one can tell when the next big storm will batter the area. It also turns out last week's storms could have been the time lightning strike twice in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
Hundreds of power company customers lost power in Thursday night's thunderstorm. Then as crews from AEP and the Washington Electric Co-Op got those customer back in service, Friday's storm hit, knocking off more consumers for a few hours.
We hope another violent storm doesn't hit. But that's a pipe dream. Storms happen, especially when it's extremely hot and humid.
So we remind households to be prepared and get prepared as soon as possible.
Make sure you have proper amounts of food and water on hand.
Keep your vehicles full of fuel.
Be sure you're current on prescriptions and have a plan to address any health issues you might encounter without electricity.
Keep in touch with friends, relatives and neighbors in good weather so you'll be familiar with their situations when the power is out.
Get a generator, if you can afford one, and learn how to install it and operate it. And be sure you have an adequate supply of fuel to run it.
Bottom line, be prepared because no one is immune from the impact of a major storm. But you can take steps today to minimize how your life is affected.
