Pee Dee Electric Sends Help to Kentucky Electric Cooperative

Continuing the long-time tradition of assisting electric cooperatives in need, Pee Dee Electric Cooperative, which serves six counties in northeastern South Carolina, has sent a crew of six experienced linemen to Kentucky. While at Salt River Electric Cooperative, these linemen, all volunteers, will help restore power to the consumers hit very hard by the recent ice storm. Pee Dee joins several other electric cooperatives in South Carolina sending crews including Mid-Carolina, Newberry and Aiken Electric Cooperatives. Taking fully equipped pick-up, bucket, and digger-pole trucks, the crew is expected to spend 10-12 days helping to restore power to the 45,000 member electric cooperative, headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, famous for the Federal Hill Plantation where Stephen Foster wrote “My Old Kentucky Home”. Utility officials say this is the hardest hit area of Kentucky and is part of more than 1 million homes and businesses knocked out of power from Missouri to West Virginia.

“These linemen, Jimmy Shumate, Eugene Bryant, Chris Blackmon, Alan Kinsaul, Chad Adams and Johnny Harrelson will be missed but their workload will be shared by the crews who remain in our service territory,” said Marion Lowry, Vice President of Operations for Pee Dee Electric. “All expenses will be reimbursed by Salt River Electric Cooperative, FEMA and other emergency agencies.”

Toy Nettles, President & CEO of Pee Dee Electric said, “Once again, Pee Dee Electric demonstrates cooperative principals. We thank their families for allowing them to go and the entire Pee Dee Electric Co-op family looks forward to their safe return.”

Tips Before the Storm

The South Carolina Insurance Service offers the following tips for residents before the storm:

Locate insurance policies, name and telephone number of insurance agent and take this information with you if you evacuate.
Update or take a home inventory. This can be as simple as making a list of personal belongings, taking pictures or using a video camera to document your property. The South Carolina Insurance News Service has a free, downloadable home inventory software package available on its website at www.scinsnews.com
Protect your family from harm by evacuating if necessary.
Protect property before the storm by covering windows and glass doors with plywood. Secure outdoor furniture. Secure any automobiles.
If damage occurs, protect property from additional damage by covering the roof and windows as soon as possible.
Survey damages before contacting insurance agent or company.

Malware ruining Valentine's Day?

From the FBI:

Internet Alert: St. Valentine’s Day E-Card Carries Storm Worm Virus

If you unexpectedly receive a Valentine’s Day e-card, be careful. It may not be from a secret admirer, but instead might contain the Storm Worm virus.

With the holiday approaching, be on the lookout for spam e-mails spreading the Storm Worm malicious software (malware). The e-mail directs the recipient to click on a link to retrieve the electronic greeting card (e-card). Once the user clicks on the link, malware is downloaded to the Internet-connected device and causes it to become infected and part of the Storm Worm botnet. A botnet is a network of compromised machines under the control of a single user. Botnets are typically set up to facilitate criminal activity such as spam e-mail, identity theft, denial of service attacks, and spreading malware to other machines on the Internet.

The Storm Worm virus has capitalized on various holidays in the last year by sending millions of e-mails advertising an e-card link within the text of the spam e-mail. Valentine's Day has been identified as the next target.

Be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender. Do not open any unsolicited e-mail and do not click on any links provided.

To receive the latest information about cyber scams please go to the FBI website and sign up for e-mail alerts by clicking on one of the red envelopes. If you have received a scam e-mail, please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov . For more information on e-scams, please visit the FBI's New E-Scams and Warnings webpage.

Way to ruin an easy avenue to send your significant other a love note. Of course, how much care and thought does it take to click and type? Not much.

Perhaps a penned card is best afterall.