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Understanding Power Outages

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Although Bandera Electric Cooperative does everything it can to reduce the possibility of power outages, they still occur. Despite our best efforts, storms, falling tree limbs, vehicles and animals can cause outages. Sometimes all it takes is a squirrel climbing critical electrical equipment to cause a short circuit.

Whatever the reason, BEC always works as fast as it safely can to get your power restored.

Our No. 1 focus will always be public safety. That means our crews will first clear lines and equipment that could pose safety hazards to the public. Next they will turn their attention to generation facilities that provide the actual electricity that powers our distribution system. After that come transmission line and substation equipment repairs. Then your co-op will focus on feeder lines that can serve as many as 3,000 members, then tap lines that provide power to 20–30 homes or businesses, and finally connections to individual members.

During this process, crews will generally first make repairs to lines that power facilities critical to public health and safety—like hospitals, police and fire stations, water treatment plants, and communications systems. How long it takes to get your power restored depends on the extent of the storm’s destruction, the number of outages and when it becomes safe for co-op personnel to get to the damaged areas.

Whether it’s a long outage or a short one, these tips can help keep your family safe and comfortable:

Call BEC immediately to report the outage.

Use safe, nonelectric food preparations. A barbecue grill is an excellent way to prepare food, but always grill outdoors.

Have a storm kit prepared in advance. It should include flashlights, a battery-operated radio, batteries and first-aid supplies.

Turn off electrical appliances and unplug major electronics. Power sometimes comes back in surges. Your circuits could overload when power returns if all your electronics are still plugged in and turned on. Leave one light on to indicate when power has been restored. Once it has, wait a few minutes and then turn on other appliances, one at a time.

Graphic: Texas Electric Cooperatives

Posted: 5/3/2021 10:11:44 AM
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