Power Outages

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Outage Report

* The following locations have reported a power outage to Pend Oreille PUD.
This list is updated every hour by your dedicated PUD employees, working to serve your needs.

If you wish to report a power outage, please call one of the following numbers:
(509) 447-3137
(509) 446-3137 North County
(509) 242-3137 South County

No Outages to Report

Click here for photos of the 2001 winter storm damage. Hopefully we will not have another winter like that!

When the Power Goes Out - POWER OUTAGE PREPAREDNESS

No matter how well maintained and reliable our electric service normally is, harsh weather conditions can cause outages. Although they can occur during any time of year, wintertime is when we generally experience the majority of outages. Winter outages can have a variety of causes heavy snow that causes trees to fall into power lines, ice forming on the lines, and vehicles skidding into power poles.

Even though Pend Oreille PUDs crews work hard to restore power as quickly as possible, outages are much easier to live with if youre prepared. Follow these tips to be prepared for outages:

Be Prepared:

Having an outage safety kit is a great way to prepare for potential outages. The following items may be useful during outages:

Flashlights and extra batteries

Battery-powered radio

Candles, candle holders, and matches

Safe, alternative source of heat

Sleeping bags and blankets

Bottled water

Food that does not require cooking

First aid supplies

Corded phone (Your cordless phone wont work in an outage.)

Know how to manually open and close any electric security or garage doors and gates.

Protect electric equipment, such as computers, fax machines, televisions, VCRs and microwaves, by installing surge suppressors or other power protection devices.

Have a battery back-up system if your smoke alarms are wired to your homes electrical system.

Have an emergency plan in place if a member of your household depends on life-support or needs other medical equipment. This may include a back-up power source or transportation to another facility.

During an Outage:

Check to see if your neighbors have electricity. If they do, check your service panel or breaker box to rule out problems with electricity inside your home.

Call Pend Oreille PUD to report the outage at: 447-3137, 446-3137, or 242-3137.

Turn off and unplug all sensitive electric equipment.

Turn down your thermostat and shut-off major electric appliances. This will help to stabilize the electric system when power is restored.

Turn off the circuit breaker for your electric water heater.

Open refrigerators and freezers as little as possible. A freezer will keep food frozen without power for several days, as long as the door is shut.

If your house can be seen from the road, leaving one outside light turned on will help PUD line crews know that your power is restored.

After an Outage:

Wait a few minutes before turning on major electric appliances. This will help eliminate problems that could occur if theres a surge in demand immediately after power is restored.

Call for service if you need help. If you think that electric power has been restored to your area, but your home is still without power, call the PUD.

Portable and Standby Generators:

Never plug a generator into any electric outlets, a practice known as backfeeding. This is extremely dangerous and may cause an electrocution risk to utility workers and neighbors served by the same utility transformer.

Generators should always be operated outdoors. They produce carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless gas that is toxic and causes poisoning or death.

Do not operate generators in any space that is enclosed or partially enclosed, such as a garage, crawl space, or basement. Opening doors and windows or using fans will not provide enough ventilation to prevent the build-up of carbon monoxide gas.

Washington state law requires that you notify the PUD if you plan to use a generator.

For more information regarding generators, refer to Pend Oreille PUDs Home Generators, What You Should Know. Free copies of this brochure are available at the Newport and Box Canyon offices.

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