Be prepared
High winds, lightning, ice storms, tornadoes, blizzards -- since 1938 HWE has seen it all. And with such severe weather comes power outages. Although we work as fast as possible to gets the lights back on, there are some steps you can take before an outage to make it easier to cope. The key is to be prepared. Be sure to plan for these fundamental needs:
- Flashlight
- Battery powered radio
- Extra batteries
- Matches
- Water
- Canned or prepared foods
- Manual can opener
- Disposable plates and utensils
- Wind-up clock
- Extra blankets or a sleeping bag
- First-aid supplies
- Extra prescription medicine
- Battery operated sump pump
Keeping food safe
Keep the fridge/freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. Obtain dry or block ice to keep your refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged period of time. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot full freezer for 2 days. Plan ahead and know where dry ice and block ice can be purchased.
Outage tips
Once we are notified of an outage, our line crew will determine the source of trouble and restore service as soon as possible. Some important tips:
- First, check for blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers (located in a fuse or breaker panel inside your home, building or garage). If you live in a mobile home, check to see that the main breaker in your home is in the ON position. Also check the breaker panel outside on your service pole beneath your electric meter.
- Then, check with your neighbors. Ask if their electricity is off, too.
- Call HWE to report the outage. Be sure to give us your name, service address and phone number.