Storm preparation can make all the difference. We’ll do our best to bring electricity back quickly if a storm knocks out power. Meanwhile, take these steps to prepare yourself and your family for bad weather.
A Severe Weather Plan can help you and your family be as ready as possible for approaching severe weather. Make sure everyone in your household understands the Severe Weather Plan.
How to prepare for power to be out
- Cool or heat your house. In warm weather, turn your air conditioning down. In cold weather, turn your heat up. During and after the storm, keep doors and windows closed. You can hold onto inside temperature for as long as 48 hours.
- Charge your cell phone and anything else that needs to be charged.
- Keep freezer doors closed and sealed. Frozen food will keep two to three days in a well-filled freezer.
- Leave a porch or front light on. This helps our crews know when repair work is successful.
- Disconnect or turn off any appliances that will start automatically when power is restored. Why? If several appliances start at once, it may overload circuits. Hot appliances pose a fire hazard. Check these appliances:
- Electric space heaters
- Stoves
- Washers and dryers
- TVs
- Microwave ovens
- Computers
- Refrigerators and freezers
More Tips
- If your power goes out, turn off large appliances and air conditioners. Wait 15 minutes after power is restored before you turn them back on.
- If your entire neighborhood loses power, Alabama Power already knows about it. Please wait 24 hours before calling customer service.
- If your meter box (or the pole on top of it) is damaged, an electrician must repair it before we’re allowed to restore your service. It’s very important to understand an essential fact about your meter box – this important part of your electric system does NOT belong to Alabama Power. The meter box belongs to the customer. If it’s damaged by weather or by any kind of accident, repair is the customer’s responsibility. Alabama Power cannot, by regulation, connect power to a damaged meter box.
- If your home or business floods, we may not be allowed to restore electric service until city or county code officials make an inspection.
- Please be patient. Our crews work as fast as safety allows. Before neighborhood lines can be repaired, crews must first repair larger lines that bring in power.