When Restoring Your Power Is Your Responsibility

From O&R

Destructive back-to-back nor’easters knocked out electric service to about 140,000 customers across O&R’s service territory. Severe weather of this magnitude can cause damage to your electric equipment, not just our poles and power lines.

In these cases, our crews cannot restore your service until a licensed electrician makes repairs to the equipment that’s your responsibility.

You’ll need to know what repair steps must be taken, as well as what equipment is yours and what equipment is ours. The drawing above helps determine whether the customer or O&R is responsible for repair of damaged equipment. The equipment that is your responsibility and must be repaired by a licensed electrician is highlighted in black.

The electrical repairs also will need to be approved by an authorized inspector in your municipality. Once we’re notified by the inspector that the repairs passed inspection, we can restore your power.

Information about restoring power when your equipment is damaged is also available on our website.

As restoration operations continue, customers are reminded to please:

Be especially mindful of the potential for downed lines to be buried beneath snow.

Put your safety and the safety of your children first at all times. Maintain a distance of at least 50 feet from downed wires and anything they are in contact with, including puddles and fences.

Never touch or approach any downed wire. Assume it is energized and dangerous. Call O&R immediately toll-free at 1-877-434-4100. Depending on the situation, you may also want to call your local police to divert traffic until an O&R crew arrives.

If you experience a power outage, don’t assume that O&R automatically knows about it, or that someone else will report it. Also, notify the company if power is restored to your neighborhood, but not your home. All outages and safety concerns should be reported immediately.