Power Outage Safety

Stay Safe During an Outage

Power outages can happen unexpectedly due to storms, vehicle accidents, equipment failures, or other events. A little preparation can help keep your family safe and make outages easier to manage.

Stay Away from Downed Power Lines

• Assume every downed line is energized.
• Report the hazard immediately to Wasco Electric Cooperative and call 911 if necessary.
• Stay at least 35 feet away, and keep children and pets away.

Stay Connected

• Sign up for the Wasco County Citizen Alert Emergency Notification System or Frontier Regional Alerts for Gilliam, Jefferson, Sherman, and Wheeler Counties to receive timely notifications about wildfires, severe weather, evacuations, road closures, and other local emergencies by text, email, or phone so you can respond quickly when conditions change.
• Listen to a battery-powered or hand-crank radio for emergency updates.
• Conserve cell phone battery life.
• Report outages by phone rather than through social media.

Medical Needs

Plan ahead for any medical devices or equipment that require electricity. Know how long your battery backups will last and identify where you can go for backup power or refrigeration if needed. If someone in your home relies on medical equipment, ensure you have a safe generator setup and keep an appropriate supply of fuel on hand.

Keep Food Safe

• Keep refrigerator and freezer closed.
• A refrigerator holds temperature for about 4 hours.
• A full freezer will stay cold for approximately 48 hours.
• Discard perishable food that has been above 40°F for 2 hours or longer.

Use Safe Lighting

• Use flashlights or battery-powered lanterns instead of candles to reduce fire risk.

Generator Safety

• Run generators outdoors, at least 20 feet from openings.
• Never use inside garages, homes, or other enclosed spaces.
• Prevent carbon monoxide exposure. Never run a generator indoors—even in an open garage. Install battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide detectors and test them regularly.
• Never backfeed into home wiring.

Learn more about backup generation options and safe installation guidelines on our Backup Generation page.

Want to prepare before the next storm? Check out our Weather Preparedness page for seasonal planning tips and emergency checklists.