Your Summer Severe Weather Checklist
Warmer weather is here, bringing the sunshine and fun that we all love about summertime – with seasonal storms often in the forecast. By taking a few simple steps, you can be prepared for whatever Mother Nature might have in store this season.
Your Summer Storm Checklist
Follow these steps to prepare for outages before they happen:
- Sign up for outage alerts and text messaging to get updates if you lose power
- Assembly an emergency kit with the following items:
- Fully charged devices and car charger
- Flashlight, portable radio and extra batteries
- First-aid kit
- Bottled water and convenience foods that don’t require cooking
- Personal health items for each person
- Know how to report a power outage
Stay Safe During an Outage
If you should lose power, manage through safely by following these tips:
- Assume all downed or low-hanging power lines are energized and dangerous. Stay at least 30 feet away from the line and anything it might be touching. Report downed lines ASAP to 9-1-1.
- If you use a backup generator for emergency power, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use it safely.
- Use a flashlight or battery-powered lantern for light. Use care when burning candles; open flames are a dangerous fire hazard.
How We Restore Power
When severe weather causes widespread outages, our restoration process helps to keep the public safe while crews work to get customers back up and running.
Immediately after a storm, our priority is to isolate hazards and make areas safe for the public. We then take the following steps to restore power to customers as quickly and safely as possible:
- Repair transmission and substation facilities
- Restore power to hospitals, police and fire departments and other critical facilities
- Address outages affecting the largest number of customers
- Restore power to individual homes