Unplanned Outages

Although weather is the most common cause of an outage, there are a variety of reasons the power may unexpectedly go out. Whether equipment fails or lightning strikes, an interruption to the electric network causes an outage. The reason for an outage may affect the length of time it takes to bring power back to your home.

Common Causes

Storms:

Trees:

Vehicles:

Animals:

Lightning:

Excavation Digging:

Wind, heat, ice and snow are the most common causes of widespread power outages.

During high winds, or trimming by an untrained professional, limbs can come into contact with power lines, causing interruptions.

A vehicle collision with a utility pole can cause a power outage.

Although we place barriers between wildlife and electricity equipment, birds, cats and other small animals may still cause power lines to short circuit.

When lightning strikes electrical equipment, transmission towers, wires, and poles, outages can occur.

Sometimes, underground cables are disturbed by digging.

What To Do During An Outage