As this weekend’s winter weather moves away from snow and closer to freezing rain and ice, a big concern is power outages. So what’s being done to help keep the lights on?

3D mapping

For the first time ahead of winter weather, TVA is using 3D mapping to spot potential trouble near power lines. Local 3 News rode along as crews scanned trees and other hazards that could cause outages this weekend.

“This can identify trees that might have started uprooting due to ice or something like that — things that are imminent threats, things that are likely to cause an immediate outage,” said Will Sanders with TVA. The goal? Faster response times when outages happen.

Additional manpower

In addition to its regular crews, EPB has called in 86 additional crews that are ready to help with power outages this weekend. Fun fact: EPB has an automated grid that helps reroute power during outages to minimize the number of people affected.

How to report

If you see a downed power line — do not go near it. Call 911 or EPB to report it immediately. If you lose power, you can report outages and monitor updates on the MyEPB app. Pro tip: Keep your cell phone fully charged just in case you lose power.