This is a special update from Mid South Synergy. For three days we have been able to maintain power service to most of Brazos, Grimes, Walker and Madison counties through back feeds from the ERCOT grid.

At this time less than 750 remain without power in Grimes County. Work in Madison County has been swift as less than 50 Mid South customers are without power. In Walker County, our restoration efforts are very limited due to lack of transmission power available from Entergy. At this time approximately 2000 Mid South customers remain without power in Walker County. If you are still without power in these areas, please continue to utilize the outage automation system by calling 1-888-525-6677.

At this time the Montgomery County area of our service territory still remains without transmission power from Entergy-Texas. Our wholesale supplier of power Brazos Electric is assisting Entergy repair their transmission grid in Montgomery County. We are hopeful that we will see results of this work by tomorrow with restoration of transmission power to some parts of Montgomery County.

As we are anticipating the restoration of transmission power, our tree trimming and construction crews are nearly 250 strong and are moving swiftly replacing poles and line in our distribution system. Please visit our website for updates as well as local media outlets for the latest from Mid South Synergy. Thank you for your support, patience and cooperation in this emergency situation. If you have power back on, please conserve your energy use so that your neighbor can be brought back on.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Generators
If used improperly, a back-up generator can make life a lot more dangerous!

If you plan to use a portable back-up generator for temporary electric power, follow the manufacturer instructions to protect you and your family. Also, DO NOT connect the generator to the house wiring unless you have had a qualified electrician hook up the standby electrical system, including the installation of a transfer switch to isolate the generator from the electric utility service. Without the transfer switch, the power from the generator will “back feed” through the transformer and raise the voltage to 7,200 volts, a level that can easily kill any serviceman trying to restore the power down the line. In addition, when the power is restored, it may cause an electrical fire and /or destroy the generator.

Downed Power Lines
Assume that any downed power line is “live.” If power lines are lying on the ground or dangling near the ground, do not touch the lines. Notify your utility company or local law enforcement authorities as soon as possible that the lines have been damaged, or that the lines are down. Do not attempt to move or repair the power lines. If you can, stay nearby to warn others away from the downed line.

Wiring and Appliances Exposed to Water
If you have appliances or equipment exposed to water, never assume they are safe to use after they have dried. Before you try to use any electrical appliance that has been exposed to water, take it to a qualified service technician. The item may be fine, it may need reconditioning, or it might require replacement.

Mid South operations and planning
At this time, Mid South crews and its contractors will be working late each day to get damage repaired and power restored. Please steer clear and give them courtesy in their efforts. This is dangerous work, their concentration is vital for their success in safely getting you back on with power.

Mid South offices and communications
At this time each of our offices in Huntsville, Navasota and Montgomery are closed to the public but will be accepting correspondence (such as outage information) through our night-drop boxes and drive in window facilities. If customers feel the need to contact us for any reason into the week, we strongly encourage them to utilize our automated outage reporting system by dialing our number 1-888-525-6677, option #1. We also encourage our members to access our website www.midsouthsynergy.com for updated press releases and outage reporting.