Outage Tips | Coastal Electric Cooperative

Check your home’s breaker panel (and any outdoor disconnects) to make sure the outage is not due to a tripped breaker.
Call your neighbors to see if their power is off. This will help you determine if the problem exists within your home, or on our lines.
If you determine the problem is outside your home, call Coastal Electric Cooperative, 800-421-2343. Call any time your power is out. Do not assume that others have reported the outage.
Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Food should keep for up to 48 hours in a freezer, if the door remains closed. If the outage persists, cover your refrigerator or freezer with a blanket, make arrangements to store food at another location, or purchase dry ice.
Turn off all electrical appliances that were on when the power went off, especially heat pumps, air conditioners, or electric heat. But leave a light on so you will know when power is restored.

Extended outages happen unannounced. So the best way to get through them is to be prepared at all times. Here’s a few tips on how:

Keep flashlights and portable radios on hand with a supply of extra batteries.
Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Food should keep for up to 48 hours in a freezer, if the door remains closed. If the outage persists, cover your refrigerator or freezer with a blanket, make arrangements to store food at another location, or purchase dry ice.
Don’t cook inside with charcoal. Be extra careful with candles, kerosene lamps, heaters, and fireplaces.
Have a supply of water on hand.
Dry ice is available at Publix and most major supermarkets.