Storm Center - Frequently Asked Questions

Power Restoration
When To Call If You Experience An Outage
DS&O Personnel Assigned to Work Outages
How You Can Help During An Outage
DS&O's Power Supply System During A Major Outage or Severe Weather Threat
Your Safety During an Outage
Your Bill or Damage to Your Property During or After an Outage

Your Safety During An Outage

Q. How can I tell the difference between telephone, television cable and electrical lines? How can I tell if standing water is electrified? How can I tell if a fallen line still has electricity in it?

A. Consider all cables and wires as being energized regardless of whether they are electrical, cable television or telephone. If a line is in the water, there is even more reason to be cautious and consider it and the water energized. Please keep children away from all flooded areas and areas with lots of debris as the water or storm debris could be hiding an energized line.

Q. Is it safe for me to walk my neighborhood right after the storm passes, just to get out of the house, or to determine how bad the neighborhood got hit by the storm?

A. Stay away from downed lines, flooding and debris. Don't walk in standing water and don't venture out in the dark because you won't be able to see a power line that could still be energized and dangerous.

Q. What precautions should I take if I'm returning to a home or business that has been flooded?

A. If you have any doubts about the integrity of your home or office electrical system as a result of flooding, check with local officials or a licensed electrician.

• Do not stand in water when operating switches, plugging in or unplugging appliances or resetting breakers or replacing fuses.
• Do not attempt to reset breakers or replace fuses until all water has receded. Use caution. Some circuits above the flood level may still be energized.
• Disconnect all electrical appliances before attempting to reset breakers or replace fuses. Be sure to wear dry shoes with rubber soles and stand on something dry and non-conductive, such as a dry piece of wood or wooden furniture.
• Use a dry and non-conductive "tool" such as a wooden stick or piece of PVC pipe in 1 hand when resetting breakers. Place the other hand behind your back. Do not make contact with the metal breaker box and other grounded objects in the area.
• Call a licensed electrician if breakers will not reset and continue to trip. This condition might indicate a short circuit in your electrical system.
• Check for water damage in all appliances and make sure cords and other parts are dry before re-plugging into wall sockets.

Q. Can I pay an electrician to change my DS&O service wires or cables?

A. No. Electricians are not allowed to work on DS&O lines from the pole or transformer to your house. Your electrician handles work that needs to be done from the meter to inside the house, including your circuit breakers and home wiring.

Q. The electrical service line from the pole to my house appears to be pulled away from the house. What should I do?

A. DS&O personnel will be inspecting service lines and will determine if an electrician is required to fix the damage or if DS&O can make repairs. Piping that houses wires attached to the side of your home or business is considered part of the house wiring and can only be worked on by a licensed electrician.

Q. Why are my electric motors or machines running backward?

A. Turn off machinery immediately. Call DS&O. A technician will determine whether electric power phases were connected properly.

Q. How should I hook up my portable electrical generator?

A. Appliances should be plugged directly into a portable generator, using extension cords if necessary. For your safety, run portable generators outside the house so the generator gets proper ventilation. Check the manufacturer's recommendations and follow them for proper use and load. If you have any doubts, consult a licensed electrician. Only a licensed electrician should attempt to hook up a generator to the main electric panel of a home or business. If you improperly connect to a main panel, power can "back feed" from the generator, including RV generators, into utility lines and injure a neighbor, property or utility crews working to restore service.

Q. How many appliances can I connect and run from my portable generator?

A. Consult the manufacturer's instructions. Each generator has a rated wattage, which provides a limit for how many appliances it will safely power. Add together the wattage of different appliances and do not exceed the manufacturer's suggested total rated.

Q. How will fallen trees near power lines be handled?

A. One of our top priorities will be to remove trees and debris that have damaged electrical equipment and are preventing service restoration. Customers should not attempt to remove or trim foliage within 10 feet of a power line. If a tree or tree limbs have fallen on a power line or pulled it down, do not attempt to get close to the line. If the line is sparking, call DS&O at 1-800-376-3533 and report a downed line. Safety should always be your first priority when pruning. Look up. Be especially careful when working with a ladder, scaffold, pole or tree in your yard. Do not do any trimming near a power line.