Power goes out?

No one likes it when the power goes out. You depend on reliable electric service everyday. When an outage occurs, we recognize it's a great inconvenience to you.

What causes outages?

The vast majority of outages are caused by tree limbs knocked down by wind, rain, or ice. Lightning and squirrels crawling on the lines are other causes of power outages.

What do I do when the lights go out?

1. Wait a few moments to see if they come back on, since many outages are temporary.
2. Look out the window and see if other neighborhood homes are also without power.
3. If your house is the only home without power, check your home's circuit breaker or fuse box.
4. When reporting an outage, give your name, address, and telephone number. Also, let us know any other information such as lines down or load noises (which could indicate a blown fuse).
5. One call is sufficient unless your neighbor's power comes back on and yours does not.
6. During an extended outage following a major storm or other catastrophe, tune in to the local radio station for information.
7. Our crews are on duty 24 hours per day to take your call. However, during major outages, the telephone system cannot handle the hundreds of calls placed in such a short time. Please be patient as we work to serve you.

Restoring service

• Our Priorities: The drawing below shows the way that electricity is delivered to your home. How quickly your service is restored following an outage depends greatly on how far your home is from the problem that caused the outage and the nearest substation.
  
  Our first priority is to restore service to substations and primary lines that serve the greatest number of customers. We then move down the lines restoring primary taps. The last items repaired are service drops feeding individual homes. This method results in the most efficient use of our resources by restoring electricity to large areas in a short period of time before dealing with individual outages. If you find yourself without power but your neighbor still has power, chances are you have a damaged transformer or service drop.
  
  
• Safety: Practicing good common sense can keep you and your family safe from possible electric shock after a storm. Any wire that falls on the ground should be considered dangerous and reported to the City, phone, or cable company as appropriate. Keep children from playing near any downed lines. If a line falls on your car while you are inside, stay inside and do not open any doors until instructed to do so by authorities on the scene. Portable generators can be very convenient during power outages, but be sure to follow manufacturers instructions to protect you and City employees from possible harm.