Tis the season for inclement weather and there’s no better way to celebrate than to start prepping for possible power outages.
Local energy company Portland General Electric has already started its own preparations. Meteorologists are monitoring weather conditions and wire-down and damage assessment crews are devising plans to assist with potential restoration efforts. Additionally, PGE prepares year-round for poor weather through equipment inspection and tree trimming.
To help others do their part in staying safe this season, PGE has complied a series of preparation tips.
For instance, the company recommends people put together an outage kit comprised of:
• Flashlights or headlights.
• Hand-crank or battery-powered radios and alarm clocks or watches.
• Car chargers for cell phones, laptops and tablets.
• 72-hours’ worth of ready-to-eat food and water.
• Bottled water for people and animals (if reliant on electricity for water).
• Additional blankets.
To safeguard home electronics, PGE suggests investing in surge protection equipment, which can be purchased at www.portlandgeneral.com/surge or many hardware and home improvement stores. The company also recommends visiting www.portlandgeneral.com/safety to familiarize oneself with proper cooking, lighting and heating practices, such as safe generator use. Other safety tips are also available.
Additionally for households with an electric garage door opener, occupants should learn how to use it manually.
If the power goes out, PGE offers customers several options to stay updated or report outages. To make sure they will receive text updates, people should log on to their PGE account or call the customer service team at 503-228-6322 or 800-542-8818 to verify the company has their contact information.
People can also view PGE’s outage map at www.portlandgeneral.com/outage or download the PGE app through the Google Play Store, Apple App Store or visiting www.portlandgeneral.com/app. To report downed line – which people should always treat as live and refrain from touching with a body part or an object – or a power outage, call 503-464-7777 or 800-544-1795.
