![]() ![]() The most frequent causes of outages in our area are storms, trees, wildlife (animals contacting lines), and public-related (cars hitting poles, digging up underground power lines, etc.). Outage causes are varied and can often be unique. In the event of a large-scale, multiple day outage, those Members are advised to seek alternate arrangements to ensure their health is not compromised as a result of a sustained loss of power. Note: For those Members that have completed the Medical Necessity Exemption form, please be advised that this form does not ensure outage restoration prioritization. After power has been restored, turn on heating/cooling system and appliances one-by-one over a period of time to minimize strain on the electric system and to prevent cold-load pick-up problems (see Power Outage FAQ on cold-load pick-up for more detail).If the weather is extremely cold or extremely hot, seek alternate shelter, if possible.BRMEMC also uses its Facebook page and website to communicate outage updates whenever possible. Listen to local radio stations for updates.Be patient yet persistent, remembering that during extended events, there are often several thousand members calling at the same time, and BRMEMC does not have thousands of employees or telephone lines to handle this volume all at once. If you cannot immediately get through to BRMEMC, it will likely be because others in your area are calling to report damage. Report all electric system damage in your community.Open refrigerators and freezers only as needed.Turn off all appliances and most lights, leaving one light on to signal the restoration of power.Turn off electric heating /cooling systems depending on season (if possible).If power goes out during these extended outage events, members should: Snowstorms, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, ice storms, hurricanes and strong winds can all create multi-day outage situations that challenge BRMEMC’s ability to restore power quickly. In many cases, BRMEMC’s members will have been made aware of impending severe weather leading to extended outages that can take several days to repair. BRMEMC does not get the kilowatt-hour sales it needs unless electric meters are functioning, so we make every effort to restore power as quickly and efficiently as possible to every member. This kind of “over-communication” makes it difficult for other members attempting to report new outages or emergencies. Finally, it is important to note that members should not call the EMC multiple times each day for “status updates”, estimated times for repair, or to restate the importance of getting power back on for a specific person or group of people.In these situations, some power outages may not be restored for several days, so it is helpful if members call and report continuing outages once each morning. This work takes time, especially during severe weather like ice storms, blizzards, thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Once in the field, our crews perform damage assessments, isolate the line with safety devices, remove any line encroachments (like fallen trees), perform necessary repairs, and reinitiate service. Crews are dispatched from our main office, and are provided as much detail about the scope of the outage and other information as is available at that time. Once an outage has been reported, BRMEMC’s employees immediately begin to respond, setting in motion a well-proven process for restoration and repair.BRMEMC offers a number of ways to report outages, including direct phone calls to the EMC, automated telephone reporting, and outage reporting via the BRMEMC website. ![]() That said, BRMEMC requests that you notify the EMC whenever a power outage occurs, as service interruptions may be isolated to a single location. ![]() BRMEMEC has installed technology including remote-read meters and other down-line equipment connected to the electric grid that assists our dispatchers in outage notification, often before our members become aware of such outages. ![]()
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