AURORA, Ill., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- While they've been the punch line of
late night talk show monologues and criticized in political cartoons, several
disaster-related organizations are praising so-called "Y2K Doomsayers" for
taking Y2K precautions.
"Those families that prepared for Y2K were doing the right thing whether
those supplies were needed over New Year's or not," said Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) Director James Lee Witt in a statement. "We
congratulate those who prepared for Y2K and urge them to begin the New Year
prepared for any eventuality."
FEMA is encouraging those who bought bottled water, batteries, flashlights
and other equipment in anticipation of Y2K problems to keep the items on
hand.
Coleman Powermate, the leading manufacturer of portable electric
generators, commends Americans for their efforts related to Y2K and recommends
that homeowners keep their generators ready for other unforeseen power
outages.
"Our customers are prepared, not paranoid," said Steve Krawczyk, Coleman
Powermate president. "Many families can now feel secure knowing that they
can sustain power during the next blizzard or rotating blackout."
Ron Hoch, a retired utility worker in Lansing, Ill., learned the value of
an electric generator last spring when a snowstorm knocked out the power to
his home for nearly four days.
Hoch, like nearly 70 percent of American homeowners, has a gas-powered
furnace. But when the power went out, so did the furnace, which uses
electricity to run the furnace fan. Concerned about the possibility of
freezing water pipes, Hoch used a portable electric generator to restore
power to the furnace.
"Many of my neighbors ran out to purchase new snow throwers after the
storm hit," said Hoch. "Frankly, my family would rather have a warm,
comfortable house instead of a snow-free sidewalk. I'd hardly consider that
being paranoid."
According to Krawczyk, the threat of power outages is becoming even more
common with America's aging infrastructure. In Chicago, six power outages
last summer plagued more than 100,000 customers in the city and suburbs
because of overloaded cables.
"Unlike Y2K, the real causes for power outages will not mysteriously go
away at midnight," said Krawczyk. An independent audit of the local utility
warned customers to "expect more of the same this summer."
According to the White House, the average American household experiences
13 hours of power outages each year -- and that is not including weather-
related outages, which average 72 hours when a big storm hits.
Coleman Powermate is a division of the Sunbeam Corporation. Headquartered
in Aurora, Ill., the company has been manufacturing electric generators
and air compressors for over 35 years and has facilities in Neb., Minn. and
Ill. For more information about Coleman Powermate, visit
http://www.colemanpowermate.com or call 800-445-1805.
Sunbeam Corporation is a leading consumer products company that designs,
manufactures and markets, nationally and internationally, a diverse
portfolio of consumer products under such brands as Sunbeam(R), Oster(R),
GrillMaster(R), Coleman(R), Mr. Coffee(R), First Alert(R), Powermate(R),
Health o meter(R), Eastpak(R) and Campingaz(R).
For more information, contact Dane Roth of Golin-Harris International,
312-729-4362, for Coleman Powermate.
SOURCE Coleman Powermate
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Related links:
http://www.colemanpowermate.com
CONTACT:
Dane Roth of Golin-Harris International,
312-729-4362, for Coleman Powermate
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