What Chattanoogans can do to prepare for Irma's potential impact [interactive tracker]

With remnants of hurricane Irma expected to reach the Chattanooga area Monday afternoon, people are urged be prepared but not panic.

WRCB weekend meteorologist Nick Austin said he was mostly concerned about the potential for scattered power outages and some areas of flash flooding, "especially in some of the usual trouble spots."

EPB is already making initial preparations for emergency line crews and equipment, according to the company's Storm Alert email update.

"... we want to assure you that EPB crews are ready and available 24/7 to restore service as quickly as possible," the statement read.

Some things to have on hand in preparation for the storm include:

• Flashlights
• Batteries
• Candles
• Cash
• Nonperishable food

"I don't want to cause panic and empty all of the shelves, but folks should have at least a few things on hand," Austin said. "They don't necessarily have to stock up. If we do lose power, it's most likely not going to be for a week."

But food that needs to be in a fridge may spoil if power isn't restored soon enough.

EPB's Storm Alert stated that it's not always possible to estimate how long it will take to restore power. 

"For example, if a pole near your home or business goes down, it is easy to identify what caused your outage, and we can get to right to work on the actual repair. In that case, it typically takes about six hours to put up a new pole," the email stated.

However, information about outages may not be immediately available during a storm, making repairs take more time.

"It's not going to be catastrophic, armageddon, but it'll be bad enough that people should just be prepared," Austin said.

Contact staff writer Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.