But, regardless of how hard we work, it's impossible to eliminate all power outages beyond our control. For example lightning, high winds, ice or snow storms, a vehicle hitting a utility pole, a squirrel causing a short circuit, a mistake by tree trimmers or persons cutting firewood, construction workers digging into our lines, or electric equipment failure.

So, while we can't completely eliminate power outages, we can help you cope with them. This section will cover some helpful hints on what to do if the electricity goes off.

What to do
If you are ever caught in an outage, here is what you should do:

• Check and, if necessary, replace your fuses or reset your circuit-breakers.
• Check with your nearest neighbor to determine if they, too, are without power.
• Call ECE and report the outage. Be sure to have your account number ready, which can be found on your billing statement. Also, note the time your power was interrupted.
• Please be patient if the lines are busy. During major outages, our telephone lines are overloaded with members calling to report their situation. Calls are answered 24 hours a day. All calls are answered in the order they are received.
• If you have special needs that require electricity for your well being, for example a life support system, please notify us of your circumstance either prior to or immediately following an outage.

We will register this information with our dispatch department and mark your account for priority repairs. You may also want to consider temporary precautionary measurers such as moving the patient to a hospital or contacting local police or fire departments for emergency equipment.

Other helpful tips during extended outages:

• Please let the line crews do their job. It’s tempting to stop crews and ask questions about when the power is going to be restored, but this only delays the restoration process. Remember that while the crews want to be helpful, they also want to restore your power quickly so they too can get home to their families.
• Be a good neighbor. Severe storms usually increase the number of accidents and medical problems. Remember this increases the response time for service agencies. You may want to organize people in your area to check on each other and lend assistance.
• If not used correctly, portable generators can cause fatal accidents involving the workers on the lines. Plug appliances into the generator. DO NOT connect household breaker circuits to the generator without a “double-throw switch” installed by a licensed electrician.
• Emergency water sources. Run off from roof tops can be collected and used for washing, but do not drink it. A water heater can supply drinking water. Be sure the breaker is OFF before you drain it, and be sure to fill it before turning the breaker back on.
• Keep the freezer full. Milk jugs filled with water and placed in a half-full freezer can be a supply of both water and ice in an emergency. Also, it will keep the freezer colder longer if it is full. Check into purchasing dry ice to help prevent spoilage.

For more information on how power is restored, click here.