While the intensity and track of Idalia remain uncertain, forecasts show the potential for gusty winds, heavy rain, and isolated tornadoes in central and eastern North Carolina, especially in areas where tropical storm watches have been issued. The combination of these weather conditions can result in flash floods and downed trees and limbs, bringing both safety concerns and potential outages to the state. Now is a good time to gather storm-preparedness supplies. Hurricane preparedness information can be found at aemc.coop/storm-safety.

Should outages occur, Albemarle EMC will begin assessing damage and restoring service. Outages should be reported by calling our 24-hour, outage reporting number 1-800-274-2072, or 1-844-726-1812. Close to real-time outage information is available on our Outage Map, located at the top of our Internet home page (aemc.coop).

Never approach downed power lines. Instead, call 911. Also, portable generators should only be used in well-ventilated areas and connected directly to the appliance it is providing power. Generators providing power to a portion or all of a house should be connected through a double-throw, bypass switch, which prevents backfeeding power lines during outages.