Outage

Following an electric power outage, make sure your home is ready to receive power.

• Unlock all gates to allow repair crews quick and easy access to the damaged equipment.
• Make sure pets are safely away from the backyard.
• If your weather head, service cable, or meter socket is damaged, you will need to contact a certified electrician to make necessary repairs before service can be restored to your home.

Our crews work as quickly and safely as possible during an outage, but restoring power may take an extended period of time.

Reset Your Breakers or Install New Fuses

If your power is out, first reset your circuit breakers or install new fuses. If you still don’t have power, it may be an issue with our supply.

Report the outage – 888-774-8272

Often times, we are unaware of an outage unless it is reported. If your house is still without power after checking your breakers or fuses, please call our office – our phone number is operating 24 hours each day.

If you hear or see anything that may help us to identify the cause of the outage, please notify us. If you hear a loud explosion or see a flash, we can use the information to help find the source of the outage.

Our phones have a limited number of lines, so you may receive a busy signal when you call, especially in a widespread outage. Wait a few minutes, then try again, or visit our Facebook or Twitter to receive updates.

Protect Your Equipment While You Wait

If the outage is after hours, it will take time for on-call crews to arrive on the scene, and, depending on the weather, it may be difficult for us to quickly restore the power in a safe manner.

While you are waiting for the power to be restored, unplug sensitive electronic equipment such as computers or TVs, which may be sensitive to surges created by repair procedures.

After an Outage

If you think the power has been restored to your area, but your home is still without power, please call 888-774-8272.

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Our goal is to limit the number and length of power outages, but sometimes they’re unavoidable:

• Weather – lightning, ice, wind, snow, etc., may affect our equipment
• Equipment – sometimes equipment may fail due to normal wear and tear. Faulted cables also may result from underground lines
• Animals – when animals make contact with an energized line, it causes the protective device to shut off power
• Trees – fallen trees or branches can damage equipment
• People – cars hitting poles, vandalism, etc., can cause outages

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Prepare for An Outage

Our goal is to limit the number and length of outages, but sometimes outages are unavoidable. Service can be interrupted due to weather, equipment, animals, trees, or people. Preparation is key in dealing with an outage. Put together an emergency preparedness kit with supplies in case of a prolonged or widespread power outage, including:.

• Water – 1 gallon per person, per day
• Food – non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items
• Flashlight
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications and required medical items
• Cell phones with external chargers
• Family and emergency contact information
• Cash
• Portable radio – handcrank or battery operated
• Keep your car’s gas tank full
• Backup power for any electric power, life-sustaining equipment

Make Sure Your Home Is Ready to Receive Power

• Unlock gates so emergency crews have easy access to the damaged equipment.
• Make sure pets are safely away from the backyard.
• If your weather head, service cable, or meter socket is damaged, you will need to contact a certified electrician to make necessary repairs before service can be restored to your home.

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We hate it when the power goes out just as much as you do. When there is an outage, we work hard to resume service as quickly and safely as possible.

Many times, the reasons for outages are beyond our control. Here are the main reasons the power goes out:

1. Storms — Conditions brought on by storms such as high winds, ice and lightning can interrupt service. Lightning itself does not impact outages as much as people think, but it can strike trees and cause branches or even whole trees to fall on distribution lines. Lightning can cause a problem, however, if it strikes substation equipment, such as a large transformer. Strong high winds and ice that accumulates on lines can also impact distribution.
2. Trees and Vegetation – Branches, limbs or trunks can fall on lines and vegetation (such as vines) can grow around poles, lines or other equipment. Ice and wind can make matters worse. This is why we work so hard to keep power lines and equipment clear.
3. Animals — It is estimated that 11% of all outages are caused by our furry friend the squirrel. They love to chew on the weatherproof coating around lines. Other critters like turkeys can interfere with service too. A bird on a wire is harmless and safe for the bird as long as it touches the line and nothing else.
4. Accidents — Cars, trucks, and farm equipment that have a run-in with a utility pole can cause an outage.
5. Public Damage — Unsafe digging, equipment or line damage, vandalism or theft can all cause interruptions in the energy chain.
6. Overload — This happens where demand spikes, such as when too many air conditioners run on a hot summer day, causing blackouts or brownouts.
7. Equipment issues — We maintain and inspect all of our lines and equipment regularly; however, sometimes equipment malfunctions. We strive to address any problem as soon as it happens.