Sheriff concerned with post-storm safety, scams
By TOM BERRY
Staff Writer
Calloway County Sheriff Bill Marcum is cautioning residents affected by Sunday's wind storm to take care when cleaning up damage or in hiring a contractor to perform repairs.
Marcum said a county resident was injured earlier this week when she picked up the end of a fallen cable that she apparently didn't notice was draped across a nearby roadway. He said that as she held the cable in her hands in an attempt to move it, a truck passed by and snagged the cable causing her injury.
Other potentially dangerous conditions exist from fallen trees, damage to homes, fallen lines and other destruction caused by the storm.
“You have to be careful out there with all the trees and the wires down,” Marcum said. “We just want to warn everybody about the danger.”
For those still without power and want to use a portable generator to temporarily restore power, the state Public Service Commission warned about the use of the equipment. In a news release, PSC officials said emergency response utilities officials across the state are requesting that residents be warned about the possibility of the home's electrical system being damaged.
Several fires have been reported that resulted from restoration of power to homes with damaged service connections which had not been reported to or repaired by utility companies. Several instances of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by improper use of generators have also been reported. One death was also reported.
Meanwhile, Marcum said it's also possible that scammers may move into the area offering roofing, tree or debris removal, landscaping and other services they may never intend to honor or may complete with less than desirable results.
To read the complete article, pick up a copy of Thursday's Murray Ledger & Times.
Story created Sep 19, 2008 - 11:17:53 EDT.
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