SALT LAKE CITY — As a possible record-breaking heat wave grips Utah, officials with Rocky Mountain Power are asking residents to be prepared should an outage occur during the high temperatures.
HEAT FORECAST: Check how hot it will get in your neighborhood this week
"In hot weather, electricity use of all types goes up, so summer’s our peak," said Dave Eskelsen with Rocky Mountain Power, adding that the company delivers more energy during summer than at any other time of the year.
Rocky Mountain Power says it gears up for this kind of extreme weather during periods of calm or normal temperatures, just so it can be ready when the system is really needed.
"We do expect to be able to weather this hot weather this week without any problems, but that said, severe weather of any kind, whether it’s hot weather or cold weather or stormy weather, can produce outages and we stand ready to deal with those when they present themselves," Eskelsen said.
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However, the company says that if outages do occur, they are usually restored inside one or two hours.
Officials suggest residents have the following items in case of a power outage:
- Water (at least one gallon per day)
- First Aid kit with essential medications
- Non-perishable food
- Link cell phone with Rocky Mountain Power for updates
"The best advice is to be prepared for either hot weather or cold weather, and have things ready to be able to whether those instances where an outage may be an extended period," said Eskelsen.
