When the power goes out, we expect it to be restored within a few hours. But when a major storm or natural disaster causes widespread damage, extended outages may result. Our line crews work long, hard hours to restore service safely to the greatest number of members in the shortest time possible. 

 

 

Extended Outage FAQ

First, Crawford Electric will work around the clock until service is restored, although daylight hours are needed for most activities. Safety of personnel and the public will remain our highest priority. Restoration priorities include:

  • Assessing the overall system and repairing power plants, major lines and substations that carry power from plants to communities.
  • Restoring power to key services essential to community safety, health and welfare - such as hospitals, police, fire, communications and water, sanitary and transportation providers.
  • Making repairs to electrical facilities that will return service to the largest number of customers in the shortest period of time, then the next largest number and so on until power is returned to everyone.

Crawford Electric will provide service restoration updates to a variety of media outlets to keep everyone informed of our progress.

No. Crawford Electric does not give preferential treatment. It is contrary to our storm restoration plan and company policy to single out any individual for priority electric service restoration. Work is not assigned according to when members report their outage, where they live or the status of their account.

Our metering and substation monitoring systems alert us to power problems, although we do rely on members to report their individual outages. We make an initial damage assessment of our system by observation. These initial observations help us understand the repairs that may need to be made to key facilities like transmission lines, substations and main power lines before we can begin the restoration process for members.

One of our top priorities will be to clear, but leave on-site, trees and debris that have damaged electrical equipment and are preventing service restoration. Members should not attempt to remove or trim foliage within 10 feet of a power line. If a tree or tree limbs have fallen on a power line or pulled it down, do not attempt to get close to the line. Call Crawford Electric at 1-800-677-2667 and report the damage. Our crews will do what's required to help re-establish the grid and restore power; debris clean-up during outage situations is the landowner's responsibility.

If you see a Crawford Electric crew passing but not stopping, it may be because work at a nearby location must be performed before electric service can be restored to you and your neighbors.

Fuses or circuit breakers in your home could have tripped and halted power, tree limbs could have fallen on the line serving your home, fuses on the transformer that serves your home may have tripped or could be damaged, and the primary line feeding the transformer could be damaged. It's also possible that your neighbors are connected to a different main feeder power line or substation that had less severe damage.

You should make plans now on how you could handle extended time without electric service. A portable generator may be an option; or you could make arrangements to relocate temporarily. Call your local emergency management office if you or anyone you know has special needs in case of evacuation. Look under "county government" in your phone directory, or call directory assistance.

No. The co-op serves to the line side of the meter loop. Repairs in your home or between the meter location and your home will need to be handled by your electrician. Most electricians who work in our area are familiar with the co-op's metering requirements. Call the co-op for more information.

Once service is restored, we make every effort to keep it on; however, as we repair other parts of our system, some interruptions may occur. If your lights come on then go off again, that's a sign that restoration crews are at work. For this reason, please wait a while before turning on your appliances or sensitive electronics when your lights first come back on.

Restoration will depend in part on how many cities and counties are significantly impacted. Crawford Electric's service territory covers six counties and nearly 3,000 miles of line. If transmission lines are damaged, it can take weeks to repair. Resetting poles is the most time-consuming restoration process.