SUMMERDALE, Alabama — Baldwin EMC staff and employees are preparing today for the possibility of Tropical Storm Nate as he moves toward the Gulf Coast this weekend. Although Nate’s path is not certain, Baldwin EMC is not taking any chances.

Baldwin EMC officials are monitoring the storm around the clock and all crews are on storm alert status. “We have an emergency response plan in place and in action,” said the cooperative’s spokesperson Mark Ingram. “We have fine-tuned our disaster plan so we can be ready to respond within a matter of hours after a storm hits and begin restoring power as safely and quickly as possible. We want to assure our members we are prepared should Tropical Storm Nate reach our service area.”

With tropical storm force winds predicted for Baldwin County, residents should be prepared for power outages. Baldwin EMC urges members whose medical conditions require electricity to make alternate plans for their healthcare needs in the event outages are experienced.

Baldwin EMC has taken all standard precautionary measures, and their emergency preparedness team has confirmed that all preliminary requirements for storm preparation have been met. They have additional supplies stocked such as poles, transformers, wire and other needed equipment. In addition to regularly scheduled emergency crews, Baldwin EMC has extra crews on standby prepared to respond should the area experience widespread outages.

Baldwin EMC staff will continue to watch this storm closely, and would like to remind their members to keep abreast of the storm’s development and take safety precautions in the event Tropical Storm Nate affects Baldwin County.

Additionally, the cooperative encourages everyone to prepare an emergency kit that includes the following:

Flashlight with fresh batteries.

Radio (or portable TV) with fresh batteries.

Extra batteries.

Candles and holders.

Matches.

Bottled water.

Non-perishable food.

Manual can opener.

Paper plates and plastic utensils.

Paper towels and napkins.

Waterless hand sanitizer.

Charcoal grill with charcoal and lighter.

Blankets.

Wind-up clock.

For the most up-to-date outage information, follow Baldwin EMC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or visit baldwinemc.com.

Baldwin EMC is a member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 74,000 accounts in Baldwin and Monroe Counties in southwest Alabama, including Alabama’s Gulf Coast. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.