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Outages As much as we try to avoid it, there may come a time when your power goes off. If this should happen to you, the first thing to do is check your fuses and or circuit breakers. It is a good idea to find out where your main fuses or breakers are. If you have fuses, always keep a spare set on hand. If the problem is not on your wiring system, it is usually a good idea to call a neighbor to see if they are out of power as well and to see if they have reported the outage. The next thing to do is call our outage phone number to report the outage. The phone numbers are (320)762-1121 and 1-800-473-1722. These numbers are answered 24 hours a day, including holidays and weekends. If the outage is a major one, you may get a recording asking for your information, or in extreme cases, a busy signal when you call to report an outage. This simply means that others are reporting outages as well. However, even the best phone system is not sufficient to handle the volume of calls generated by a major outage, so please be patient. The weather may give you a good indication of the situation. As you might expect, lightning storms and strong winds are particularly hard on electric lines. While the power is off While it is true that an extended loss of power during a summer storm may eventually threaten your frozen foods, they will be safe for considerably longer than you might think. Here are a few things you can do to help protect your frozen goods: Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Food should keep for at least 48 hours. If the outage is longer than this, arrangements should be made to keep food at another location or you should purchase dry ice. In a freezer which is not full, it is also a good idea to group the food together. As a general rule, raw meat and poultry that still has ice crystals in it may safely be refrozen. Cooked meat or poultry dishes that have remained at 40 degrees or below should be used as quickly as possible, but may also be refrozen. However, raw or cooked meat or poultry that has remained above 40 degrees for more than two hours should be discarded to avoid food poisoning. Life Support and other Critical loads Don't wait for an outage to inform us of such situations. We have a Critical Load List which is consulted during outages and when planned outages are necessary. Just call the REA office number during regular business hours. Give the account information and the reason for the critical nature of your service. First priority will be given to these loads, especially medical/ life support, but it may still be a good idea to invest in a standby generator for emergencies.
Reporting an Outage
STAY AWAY FROM DOWNED POWER LINES (even if you are CERTAIN they are not energized). A line which was previously safe may become energized unexpectedly in the process of repairing damaged lines, so KEEP CLEAR. Keep a battery-powered radio on for outage related information. When necessary, outage messages are broadcast on KXRA 1490 AM, KX92 FM, KXRZ 99.3 FM, KIKV 100.7 FM, KKOK 95.7 FM and KBHL 103.9 FM. |
