Storm Center - During An Outage

Your Restoration Plan
DS&O's Restoration Plan
Safety Tips During a Major Outage or Disaster
What You Should Know If Your Neighbor's Power On, And Yours Is Not
What You Should Know Before The Power Is Turned Back On

Your Restoration Plan

DS&O's Restoration Plan
DS&O has storm procedures in place and our employees know their assignments in the event that management puts the procedures into action. We constantly monitor weather patterns that may affect our service area and alert employees when possible.

In the aftermath of a major storm, we implement our service restoration plan, which emphasizes safety and efficiency. The plan has two basic elements. Our first priority is safety. We assign our repair resources to the most critical areas to make them safe for the public and for our employees to continue working. Keep in mind ... For the safety of our repair crews, DS&O will halt efforts to restore electric service when conditions no longer allow work do be done safely.

Second, following a thorough damage assessment, our repair crews will initially restore electrical service to the customers who provide health, safety and other essential services to your community. These customer groups include:

communications such as emergency radio systems, telephones and television
hospitals
public services such as Red Cross facilities
designated sewage pump and disposal plants and water supply utilities
transportation providers such as airports, electrically operated bridges and rapid transit systems

The restoration work will continue by repairing power lines that restore power in the shortest period of time to the largest number of customers possible. This occurs before our crews begin the more time consuming task of restoring service to individual homes and businesses.

If you lose power following a major storm, please be patient. Depending on the damage inflicted on DS&O's electric distribution system or the state's jointly owned transmission line system, your power could be out for several hours or days. We will work around the clock to restore your power.

For your safety and the safety of our crews, please be aware of our service vehicles parked along roadways. Also, please direct any outage questions to our call center by calling your local DS&O number of 1-785-655-2011. If you need to report a power outage or downed line call our automated outage line at 1-800-376-3533. Directing these issues to a service lineman you may encounter, will slow the restoration process. .

Our storm damage assessment team will identify the areas that are the most heavily damaged. Please use the DS&O automated line ONLY to report your outage 1-800-376-3533. This is the fastest most effective way to report an outage. An outage ticket with every piece of data needed to locate you and the parts of our distribution system that serve you, are printed immediately in our 24-hour system operations center. ONE CALL THAT'S ALL - it takes to report your outage. This will leave our telephone lines open for emergency calls. However, we do want you to call to report downed power, sparking power lines or obviously unsafe electrical equipment. And please warn your friends and neighbors to avoid those areas.

DS&O will provide service restoration updates to local radio, TV and newspapers and on this website to keep you informed of our progress.

SAFETY TIPS DURING A MAJOR OUTAGE OR DISASTER

Water Damage To Electrical
Generator Safety
Weatherhead Inspection

Safety Tips -- Generator Safety
If you plan to use a portable generator, here are some important safety precautions:

First, locate your generator in a well-ventilated area. Never run it inside, even in your garage. Gasoline-powered generators produce carbon monoxide and the fumes can be deadly.
Second, plug appliances directly into the generator using heavy duty, properly grounded extension cords. Make sure that extension cords are not frayed or worn. Do not connect your power generator directly to your home's main fuse box or circuit panel. Limit the number of appliances you use to no more than the recommended wattage of the generator.
Read all instructions carefully and follow the manufacturers recommendations. Use the generator only when necessary, and don't overload it. Turn it off at night while you sleep and when you are away from home, to avoid possible fire hazard.

For your safety .... the safety of neighbors, and the safety of DS&O employees working to restore electricity do not attempt to connect your generator to your home wiring.

If you have any doubts about how to properly use a portable electric generator, contact the manufacturer or a licensed electrician for assistance.

Safety Tips -- Weatherhead Inspection
According to DS&O, there's something you can do to determine if your home is ready to receive power when crews arrive ... Or if you need to call an electrician for repairs ahead of time:

If your home is served by overhead power lines, look at the metal pipe above your electric meter where the power line is or would connect to your house. This is called the weatherhead and it is part of your home wiring system. If you see any damage to the weatherhead, to the pipe that carries the wire down to the meter, or to the meter can that surrounds the meter, you may need to call a licensed electrician.
If your home is served by underground lines, look at the metal meter box and the pipe that extends down into the ground. Again, if you see any damage, you may need to call a licensed electrician.
If there is damage to the DS&O meter itself, utility crews will repair or replace it. Make your visual inspection carefully. Do not touch any electrical equipment or lines around the electrical equipment. If the weatherhead appears bent or loose, the electrician will make a closer inspection and repairs, since DS&O crews are not permitted to work on home wiring systems. Please be careful around all electrical wires and equipment.

What You Should Know Before The Power Is Turned On
Although your house may look safe, it may not be safe to receive power. Here are a few simple steps to help avoid injury to yourself and your family, or further damage to your home.

If your roof or windows have leaked, there may be water in your walls and ceiling in contact with electrical wiring. You may need a licensed electrical contractor to survey your house. In the meantime, turn off your circuit breakers, remove fuses, unplug appliances and turn off all wall switches.
If you're served by overhead power lines and you see damage from the house connection to the power line, the piping that carries wires to the meter, or the box surrounding the meter, you may need to call an electrical contractor. DS&O is not permitted to repair this type of damage. If the meter is damaged, we will take care of it. If you are served by underground power lines, simply look at the meter box. If it is damaged, you may need to call a contractor.
Do not make a close inspection of your wiring or other electrical equipment. Let an electrical contractor perform this job.
If you do call a contractor, make sure that whomever you hire is licensed by the state. Ask to see a license and a Certificate of Competency (CC) number.