Power interruptions are inconvenient, we understand that. We know our members rely on us to restore the power as quickly as possible. After a major storm or extensive damage, it may take longer to repair the damage and restore the power.
Steps to restoring power
1. Identify what caused the outage. If the outage is caused by damage to any of the Transmission lines, then tens of thousands of people are out of power. They take priority during a disaster because of the volume of people affected.
2. Repair substation damage. Substations are the electrical facilities that contain equipment that switches or regulates the voltage of electricity. They lower the voltage from the transmission lines so the electricity can be transmitted through the distribution lines.
3. Repair main distribution lines. These are the lines that you see along the road. They carry electricity from the substations to groups of consumers, like towns or housing developments.
4. Repair tap lines and individual service lines. Tap lines run from the distribution lines to utility poles and underground transformers outside houses or buildings. Individual service lines run from the transformer on the pole along the road or street or underground box to the consumer’s electric meter on the side of the home or business.
All these different lines and electricity highways can be severely damaged during big storms or natural disasters. Working their way through the distribution system, linemen may be working around the clock to find the cause of your outage. In many cases, there will be broken poles or downed lines. In these instances, we must call 811 before we dig to replace it. This is required to locate other buried utilities along the right-of-way and can add time to the restoration.
Letting us know when your power is out is always helpful, even when you think “Everyone has probably reported this.”, we still want to hear from you! This gives us a more accurate look at the extent of damage caused and helps us isolate or repair the problem as soon as possible.
Now you know what might be going on behind the scenes of a major power outage. So, relax and trust that our crews will restore your power as quickly as possible.