Be Prepared - Making it Through a Power Outage

 

  While your electric service is generally reliable, extreme weather conditions and other factors can lead to a temporary loss of power. To make sure your family is safe and comfortable during an extended outage, it is best to be prepared. The following checklists will help you be ready before the power goes out, as well as guide you on what to do during and after an outage.

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Before a Storm

• Make sure flashlights, battery-powered lanterns or other sources of light are readily available.

• Make sure flashlight and radio batteries are fresh.

• Make sure you have an adequate supply of medicine, first aid supplies and baby items.

• Homeowners with wells should draw an emergency water supply in case power to their electric water pumps is interrupted.

• Keep a supply of bottled water, non-perishable food items, batteries and firewood on hand.

• Make sure that your pets are current on their vaccinations. Pet shelters may require proof of vaccines. Have a current photograph of your pet. Keep a collar with identification on your pet and have a leash and a muzzle on hand. Make sure you have your pet’s medication.

• Consider moving yourself and your family – especially those with special needs – to an alternate location during an extended outage.

• If you evacuate, shut off your electricity at the breaker box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the Storm

• Get inside a building. Stay away from windows. Flying debris can cause injury.

• Do not use the phone or run water during lightning storms.

• Do not stand in water or take a bath or shower. Currents from lightning can enter through your plumbing and phone lines.

• Don’t open freezers and refrigerators any more than absolutely necessary.

• Listen to your local radio stations for news about outages. We make a special effort to report the latest outage news to local radio and television stations.

• Turn off your heating and air conditioning systems. Unplug sensitive electronic appliances such as TVs, VCRs, microwave ovens and computers.

• Turn off your electric range during a power outage. This may prevent possible damage if you’re away when the power is restored.

• Wait five to ten minutes before turning on appliances and heating systems after power is restored.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the Storm

• Check for electrical damage, such as frayed wires, downed power lines, sparks or the smell of hot or burned insulation. If you find such damage, don’t turn your power on until the service crews have made the repairs.

• If power lines and poles are down in your area, always treat them as energized and dangerous. Never touch them! Stay away from them. Call us and report the location so repairs can be made as soon as possible.

• An electrician must repair damage inside your home. We can only hook up power from the pole or underground line to your house. Co-op personnel cannot repair your fuse or breaker box or make repairs on or inside your house.

• If your electric service is out, check with your neighbors to see if they have power. If they do, you may have only a blown fuse or a tripped breaker. Never replace a fuse or reset a circuit breaker with wet hands or while standing on a wet (or even damp) surface.

• If you’re without electricity and want to use a portable generator, make sure you use it in a well-ventilated area. Don’t connect the generator to your home’s electrical panel or fuse boxes. It may cause electricity to feed back into the power lines, which can endanger our linemen and damage electric service facilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please Note

In an outage situation, it is very difficult for us to give you a timeline for service to be restored. The amount of time it takes to restore service is based solely upon the amount of damage to our system. Please know that our employees are here and working around the clock in very adverse conditions to restore service to all our members as quickly as possible.