When winter sets in there is the chance that wind and rain can damage our power lines and equipment. If outages happen, our workers restore service as quickly as possible. Even so, it’s best to be prepared should your power go out. Here some tips that can help you be ready if an outage happens.
Before a storm
Become familiar with your service panel location and how to operate the main circuit breaker. Prepare a basic emergency kit and store it in an accessible place. The kit should contain:
- Bottled water
- Extra batteries
- Wind-up clock
- Manual can opener
- Battery-operated radio or television
If you have an uninterruptible power source--a device with an internal battery that provides continuous power to computers plugged into it--remember that the device provides backup power for only a short time, usually a few minutes. However, this is often enough time to ride out power glitches or short outages.
If stormy weather knocks down a power line
- Call SMUD at 1-888-456-SMUD (7683) or 911 immediately.
- Assume the line is dangerous; stay away and warn others to do the same.
- Do not remove fallen tree limbs or other debris from power lines. Tree limbs and other objects can conduct electricity that can shock anyone coming in contact with them.
How SMUD prepares
Our workers perform maintenance activities year-round to help prevent outages. Preventive tree-trimming in particular has resulted in a huge reduction in tree-related outages.
As part of an ongoing program, we are increasing our effort to replace old underground cable, which will significantly lower the number of cable-related outages.