Coping With A Power Outage

Through rain, wind, snow and ice, Socorro Electric Cooperative (SEC) strives to keep the power on for every home and business in its service area. But sometimes unexpected conditions will cause our electric cooperative members to temporarily lose power. When storms or other circumstances cause an outage, you can rest assured that SEC will take immediate action to restore service. Although we work as quickly as possible to get the power back on, there are some steps you can take before, during and after an outage to make it easier to cope.

• CONFIRM THE OUTAGE: First check lights and appliances in other rooms. If you still have power in some areas, most likely a fuse has blown or a circuit breaker has been tripped. If all lights are off, check to see if your neighbor's lights are also off. This will help SEC determine the extent of the outage.
• CALL SEC: Report the outage.
• PLAY IT SAFE: Never touch downed power lines or anything contacting power lines. Although you may see lines that are down, they could still be energized. Never attempt to move trees from power lines. Let qualified servicemen from your electric cooperative handle the clearing and repair work.
• LIGHT: Always have alternate sources of light on hand. It could be a flashlight with extra batteries, candles, kerosene or oil lamps. Keep your alternate light source in an established place where it can be found easily in an outage situation.
• INFORMATION: Have a battery-powered radio available. The radio, TV, and websites will bring you weather reports, local news bulletins and other important emergency information. During a widespread outage, SEC will contact local radio stations and other media about restoration efforts.
• FOOD: Stock emergency food and related items along with a manual can opener. Keep your refrigerator/freezer doors closed as much as possible to reduce the chance of food spoilage.
• WATER: If your water supply comes from a well with an electric water pump, you need to prepare prior to a storm. Sanitize and fill spare containers with water for drinking and cooking. Also, fill your bathtub with water for other uses.
• HEAT SOURCES IN WINTER: When the power goes out, so do most heating systems. If you have a fireplace or wood-burning stove, make sure you keep plenty of wood during the winter. A portable electric generator is another good option for back-up power, as long as it is properly installed and operated.
• PROTECT YOUR APPLIANCES: Turn off all large appliances that come on automatically and disconnect sensitive equipment such as VCRs, DVD players, stereos, computers and televisions to avoid damage from lightning or a power surge. If all of these appliances were to come back on at once, they might overload your home's electric circuits. Leave a single lamp turned on to let you know when your electric service has been restored.