Prepped for Disruption

Power Equipment Direct and its generator partners are raising awareness about preparing for an active 2021 hurricane season. The Atlantic Hurricane Season officially begins on June 1 and runs through November 30.

The effort coincides with National Hurricane Preparedness Week, an annual campaign led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aimed at educating citizens living in hurricane-prone areas on how best to prepare for storms. 

According to initial forecasts by Colorado State University, the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season is expected to bring 17 named tropical storms, four of which will be major hurricanes. Furthermore, the forecasters predict 35 days of hurricane activity over the course of the season, nine of which will be major hurricane days. 

“Besides having an emergency preparedness plan and extra supplies, we highly recommend investing in an emergency backup generator to restore power during an outage,” explains Tony Composono, category manager for generators at Power Equipment Direct. “With so many people working or learning from home today, it’s more important than ever to maintain consistent electrical power.” 

According to Todd Welzbacher, vice-president sales & business development –?Champion Power Equipment, Americans are recognizing the main benefits of electric generators, including home security, communication methods, and food storage backup. “The portable generator industry has experienced a record 35 percent growth last year and is starting out with a similar pattern this year,” he cites. “This is largely being driven by increased storms, wildfires, and the pandemic.”

Lindsay Montgomery, channel manager for retail & eCommerce at Kohler Power Systems agrees. “The backup generator market in the US is growing drastically, and we expect total [backup generator] market size to be double by 2025,” she explains. “The top three benefits of having a Kohler generator during a hurricane are safety, reliable power, and peace of mind.” 

Emergency backup generators come in portable and standby models. Portable generators are less expensive but require manual set up each time there is a power outage. Standby generators cost more and require professional installation, but they are more powerful and automatically switch on during an outage.  

“Choosing between generators ultimately comes down to an individual’s power needs,” explains Composono. “Powering an entire home requires a standby generator, while a few circuits or appliances can typically be powered by a portable unit.” Power Equipment Direct offers a free generator sizing calculator that can help in the decision. 

One final piece of advice from generator vendors—don’t delay! Increased demand coupled with pandemic-induced supply interruptions have made it more difficult to find a generator, especially last minute.  

 “It’s never a good idea to wait until the eve of the storm to get a generator,” warns Composono. “This year, that rings truer than ever before.”