Tropical storm Cristobal struck central and south Mississippi with maximum winds of about 50 mph on Sunday, June 7, 2020. Residents of central and south Mississippi witnessed wind peaks of about 40 mph through the overnight hours into Monday morning, June 8. More than 22,700 electric customers were left without power in Mississippi and a total of more than 29,000 customers were without power in Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi as of 10 a.m. ET on Monday.

Ponding occurred on many streets due to heavy rains in areas where flash flooding occurred.

On the coastline, flash flooding affected Highway 90 in Gulfport and Biloxi and into coastal communities. In Kiln Community of Hancock County in Mississippi, extreme flooding caused water to peak as high as mailboxes and fences. Homes that were not on stilts or pilings were flooded due to heavy rains.

Flooded streets plagued the community of Pass Christian making streets and parking lots appear as lakes or parts of an ocean. High waters due to heavy rain caused ponding that resulted in cars hydroplaning.

Mississippi Energy reported that about 10,000 of its customers were without power on Monday morning.

Business owners in cities in Louisiana boarded windows and placed sandbags around their businesses.

There were power outages on the Gulf Coast even before Cristobal made landfall. Rain pummeled the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Sunday ahead of Cristobal. The storm had initiated a tornado in Florida and threatened more tornadoes along with high winds and storm surges.

On Sunday, forecasters were warning that the storm would affect a large area of the Gulf States stretching roughly 180 miles east into Florida. The worst areas were expected to be in southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi. It was predicted that some locations in that region would get 12-inches of rain and storm surges of up to 5-feet.

The storm could also generate tornadoes in sections of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. As of 10 a.m. on Monday 2,978 customers of Louisiana power utilities were without power and more than 3,300 were in the dark in Florida.

The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans reported that the city’s drainage system had limits and were old and cautioned residents to avoid underpasses and low-lying areas where water could pool during street flooding.

A highway was under water while Grand Isle Louisiana was being evacuated.

On Sunday, the Louisiana National Guard had dozens of high water vehicles and rescue boats ready to cross south Louisiana.

In Biloxi, Mississippi, a pier was nearly totally submerged on Sunday morning.

Storms Cause Outages In Pennsylvania, Texas,

Meanwhile, disastrous weather dubbed the Derecho Storm in Pennsylvania left more than 850,000 electric customers without power, more than 750,000 electric customers were without power due to storms in Edmonton in the Alberta province of Canada on Sunday.

The Derecho Storm hit Pennsylvania on Wednesday. As of Sunday night, about 3,000 were still waiting for their power to be restored.

Electric utility crews were out in Lubbock, Texas on Friday, June 5, repairing damaged power lines after a storm hit the South Plains area of Texas on Thursday night. Four poles were snapped or blown over in the city causing power lines to fall on to roadways. As of 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, more than 16,000 people were without power in the area.

Severe storms are a threat across the United States throughout the year. So, it is essential that you be prepared no matter in what region of the country you live in. And with thousands of Americans working at home on their computers due to the coronavirus, being secure from power outages has become even more important.

APElectric offers a wide range of stand-alone generators from such manufacturers as Cummins, Westinghouse, Kohler, Briggs & Stratton, Generac, and Guardian.. They have a large inventory to choose from. Many models feature Wi-Fi so that you can monitor and control the generator from anywhere on Earth. The website also includes a generator sizing calculator and offers information on how to select the proper generator for your situation.

Now more than ever it is essential that you be prepared. Visit the APElectric website and browse their supply of generators. Purchasing one can give you peace of mind during these crazy storm seasons.