Safety is our industry’s top priority. Once it is safe to do so, impacted electric companies will assess the damage and will work around the clock to restore power when and where conditions allow. Assessing damage and restoring power may take several days or more in some areas. In some cases, power restoration could require rebuilding energy infrastructure.

Flooding and storm surge create a unique and dangerous restoration environment and can delay initial assessment efforts. In the hardest-hit areas, search and rescue and life safety will be the top priority. Crews will not be able to use certain equipment, including bucket trucks, until high winds subside. 

Customers should:

• Be prepared. Keep your emergency outage kit readily accessible.
• Have your cell phones and other battery-powered devices charged and available.
• Have a hard copy of emergency contact information available.
• Register your cell phone number with your local electric company, and make sure your contact information is current so you can receive any status or safety updates the company might put out during an emergency. Be sure to follow your electric company on social media for real-time updates.
• Stay indoors in a secure room and away from windows and monitor weather bulletins on a battery-powered radio.
• Stay away from downed or sagging power lines, flooded areas, and debris. Treat all fallen wires and anything touching them as though they are energized. Immediately report downed lines to your electric company.
• If using a personal generator, please take all recommended precautions. Never use a generator inside your home, garage, crawl space, other enclosed areas, or anywhere exhaust fumes can enter enclosed spaces. Never connect a generator to your home’s circuits. Plug appliances directly into the generator.
• Never place a burning candle near anything that could catch fire or leave one unattended. Extinguish candles before going to sleep.
• Do not approach electric company workers or contractors as they make repairs. They are following strict safety guidelines, so please keep your distance to allow them to complete their work.