PNM braces for impact during high winds

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico’s largest power company is bracing for impact ahead of strong winds Friday.

"It could be a dangerous situation for the state,” said Sara Yingling, a PNM spokesperson.

PNM crews are on standby, waiting to see how the latest round of high winds mixes with dry conditions across the state.

"They are on call to respond within an hour of getting that notification so if things do go downhill they are ready to respond and help out our crews who are already working,” said Yingling.

PNM’s vegetation management team prepares for this season all year. They’ve been working in the South Valley Bosque, Valencia county, the east mountains, Santa Fe, Silver City, and Ruidoso. Their job is to cut back potentially dangerous vegetation around the power poles.

"In New Mexico, we have to be very proactive given that it is a very dry environment,” said Yingling. “And with high wind season, which we’re in right now, it can be a very volatile situation. So being proactive, taking the steps to monitor any kind of vegetation around our poles is very crucial."

But it’s still challenging to prepare for a broken pole during high winds. Yingling says there are ways to protect yourself if that happens in your neighborhood.

"First and foremost, whenever you see a downed power line, do not touch the power line or anything that may be touching the power line,” she said. “With high winds, tree branches can go into powerlines so do not touch the tree branches. Leave that to a professional or call PNM and we can handle it."

You can call or text PNM at any time to report an outage.