Electricity powers our lives. We depend on it for nearly everything we do. We also understand how frustrating it can be when you’re stuck in the dark.
Power outages are never convenient. It takes many hands to keep your power on and even more to get it up and running again when an outage occurs. The United Electric Cooperative team works hard to restore electric service during outages, but there is a necessary order to the process to ensure power is restored to consumers quickly and as safely as possible.
After a major storm, our line crew assesses the damage that has occurred to infrastructure, including transmission towers, poles, and lines.
Transmission lines deliver power to substations. If there is damage along these lines, no power can be delivered to our substations. When this infrastructure is damaged, the transmission lines must be repaired first, restoring the power flow to substations.
Next, damage must be assessed and repaired at substations. These substations serve thousands of consumers each. If the issue is isolated and can be resolved at the substation level, thousands of people can get their power restored at once.
Sometimes, the issue is not isolated to 1 of our distribution substations. If that’s the case, crews then inspect supply lines between the substations and the meters they serve. If the supply lines can be repaired, power can be restored to the towns and homes those lines serve, provided there is no damage to the tap lines.
Tap lines carry power to transformers outside homes and other buildings. Line crews prioritize repairs with a goal to restore power to the greatest number of consumers first.
Sometimes, the service line between a consumer’s meter and the transformer is damaged. Have you ever lost power only to look next door and see the lights still shining from your neighbor’s house? This is what we refer to as an individual or single outage. If this happens, report it so we know we have individual damage in the area requiring the attention of the line crew.
Power restoration can be a tricky business. If you lose service, please remember the following:
- Stay clear of downed power lines. Contact with these lines could be life-threatening.
- Report the outage as soon as possible. Call the same number for after-hours emergencies to reach an automated system, allowing you to choose the department to best handle your emergency.
- You are prompted to leave a message for the on-call employee who will respond to your emergency. There is a slight delay from when the message is sent to when the employee receives it, so please allow time for them to respond. If there is a major outage, not all calls will be returned, but rest assured that we are working to resolve the problem. Your services will be restored as soon as possible.
- Prepare for storms by having food, water, flashlights, batteries, medicines, prescriptions, a first-aid kit, matches, and a battery-operated radio on hand.
We appreciate your patience and cooperation when an outage occurs.