DP&L SAYS IT’S READY FOR HOT WEEKEND
Utility confident power usage won’t cause a N.Y.-like brownout here.
Dayton Power & Light doesn’t expect power issues this weekend despite heat indices that could reach 110 degrees.
Power companies across the nation are asking customers to be mindful of their electricity usage this weekend, especially from air conditioners. New York already has experienced power outages in some blocks and buildings, and experts have warned the same could happen elsewhere.
Dayton-area residents won’t have to worry, said Mary Ann Kabel, spokeswoman for DP&L.
“We monitor the weather and our customer usage very closely, and we’re able to meet the demands that come with excessive heat,” Kabel said. “We are fine. We don’t see that there will be an issue anywhere close to the potential brown-outs happening in New York City.”
Even though DP&L is confident about its performance, it stills asks customers to consider appropriate energy use.
“Energy efficiency is very important,” she said. “It helps to close the blinds or drapes, do dishes or laundry early in the morning or later in the evening, don’t run fans in unoccupied rooms and adjust the thermostat to automatic so you aren’t constantly adjusting it back and forth.”
More energy-saving advice can
be found on DP&L’s website.
The excessive heat warning will remain in effect until this evening, with Saturday’s heat indices reaching 105 to 110 degrees, said Storm Center 7 Meteorologist McCall Vrydaghs. It will be mostly sunny today, continuing with heat indices up to 100 degrees Sunday, when storms will develop during the second half of the day and a cold front will arrive.
During the heat, parents should monitor children and pets, said Dayton Children’s Hospital Trauma Program Manager Lisa Schwing.
“Younger children will need to stay hydrated more than others, and if you’re outside, make sure you are constantly giving them water,” Schwing said. “On the far end of the scale, kids can get so bad off that they have heat stroke, which means that they can’t sweat anymore and they become very flushed out. If this is the case, they will be in extreme medical trouble and need to be brought in for medical treatment.”
Keeping children in hot vehicles also should be a concern this weekend. The expected heat could lead to a deadly level inside vehicles in 10 minutes, Schwing said.
“It is really important,even if it’s a quick errand, to take your children inside with you. Windows rolled down will not make a difference,” she said. “If you happen to find a child in a vehicle, do whatever you can do to get them out because every minute counts. Children left in cars could have fevers up to 107 degrees, which will lead to brain or organ damage.”