We’re Ready for Storm Season. Are You?

June 17, 2021

Summertime brings many of our favorite activities like cooking out with family and friends, afternoons on the water, and simply slowing down a bit to enjoy life. But the arrival of summer also brings the potential for hurricanes and severe weather that can have major impacts like fallen trees, downed lines, and widespread power outages. These potential weather events can cause destruction to our electrical system, but Union Power crews are ready and standing by to respond should power outages occur in our area.  

When major storms knock out power, our line crews take all necessary precautions before they get to work on any downed lines. We encourage you to practice safety and preparedness to protect your family during major storms and outages.

Here are some proactive steps you can take:

1. Stock your pantry with a three-day supply of non-perishable food, such as canned goods, energy bars, peanut butter, powdered milk, instant coffee, water, and other essentials (i.e., diapers and toiletries).
2. Confirm that you have adequate sanitation and hygiene supplies, including towelettes, soap, and hand sanitizer.
3. Ensure your First Aid kit is stocked with pain relievers, bandages and other medical essentials, and make sure your prescriptions are current.
4. Set aside basic household items you will need, including flashlights, batteries, a manual can opener, and a portable, battery-powered radio or TV.
5. Organize emergency supplies, so they are easily accessible in one location.
6. Identify the safest spots in your home, designate a meeting place, and write down emergency contact information. Also, identify evacuation routes.

In the event of a prolonged power outage, turn off major appliances, TVs, computers, and other electronics. This will help avert damage from a power surge and help prevent overloading the circuits during power restoration. That said, do leave one light on so you will know when power is restored. If you plan to use a small generator, make sure it’s rated to handle the amount of power you will need, and always review the manufacturer’s instructions to operate it safely.  

After the storm, avoid downed power lines and walking through flooded areas where power lines could be submerged. Also, allow ample room for crews to safely perform their jobs, including on your property.

Providing safe and reliable power is our top priority here at Union Power. However, we can never predict Mother Nature’s plans, and sometimes circumstances beyond our control cause members to lose power. But we believe that there’s power in planning.  Advance planning for severe storms or other emergencies can reduce stress and anxiety caused by the weather event and lessen the impact of the storm’s effects.

No matter what this summer has in store, Union Power is ready to respond, and we encourage you to be ready, too.

Report an outage

If widespread outages occur, our objective is to get power flowing again to as many members as safely as possible in the shortest time. If you experience an outage, please report it through our outage line at 1-800-794-4423.

Stay up-to-date on the progress of an outage

To keep up with the outages on our system, visit outage.union-power.com to view our outage map. The map is updated in real-time, has around-the-clock access to outage information, and shows the number of customers affected by outages. If you don’t see your outage on our map, be sure to give us a call to report it. We also post updates on widespread outages to our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.