Franklin Co. declares disaster; National Guard to deliver water hippo to Charleston after 8:30 a.m. Monday
Mill Town/Washburn Public Water Authority customers in need of drinking water will need to bring their own containers. Author: 5NEWS Web Staff Updated: 1:28 PM CST February 22, 2021
CHARLESTON, Arkansas
According to Franklin County Emergency Management (FCEM), the Arkansas National Guard will deliver a water hippo to Charleston sometime after 8:30 a.m. on Monday (Feb. 22) to help Mill Town/Washburn Public Water Authority (MTWPWA) customers who are in need of drinking water.
The water supply to MTWPWA is temporarily off due to an emergency with their water supplier.
Credit Entergy Arkansas
Arkansas utility companies are asking people to conserve electricity usage as the state braces for another round of winter weather. Companies say heavy snowfall and unusually cold temperatures have prompted many consumers to use a substantial amount of natural gas and electricity to stay warm in their homes.
Melody Daniel, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, says lowering thermostats to within the 60 to 65 degree temperature range will help conserve power. Heating sources are the biggest draw during these extended cold weather events, Daniel said. So, if you’re able to reduce that by about five degrees or so, and then bundle up, wear a few extra layers and maybe have a blanket with you, that is just one simple step that most Arkansans can take that will drastically reduce the load on the power grid and help our electricity stay on.
Postponements, closures as Stuttgart braces for another winter storm stuttgartdailyleader.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuttgartdailyleader.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Winter weather put a damper on energy supplies with electric and natural gas providers requesting customers limit their use of services.
According to Andrew Lachowsky, vice president of planning and market operations for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, the recent snow, ice, and cold temperatures created an emergency situation making rolling electrical outages possible, unless electric consumption was reduced.
He said because of the extremely cold weather and the unusually high requirement for electricity, Arkansasâs electric cooperatives and other regional utilities reached a point where demand for electricity exceeded the supply.
âThe current load forecasts are approaching an all-time winter peak, even greater than those experienced during the polar vortex of January 2019,â said Michael Considine, Entergy Arkansasâs vice president of customer service.Â
ADEM says utility companies are requesting customers in Arkansas reserve the amount of natural gas they are using to heat their homes during this unprecedented storm