Power Outages: Residential Customers

MID has an excellent reliability record, but despite our best efforts some power outages will happen.

Power outages can be caused by a number of things including bad weather, trees contacting electric lines or equipment, motor vehicle accidents, equipment failure, animals and vandalism. Events throughout the western United States can also affect the MID electric system. Closer to home, faulty wiring and equipment inside your home or business can cause a localized power outage.

Give MID a call

Call MID 24 hours a day at 209-526-8222 or (888) 897-8222 to report the location and circumstances of an outage. During some outages, the line may be busy due to the large volume of callers. Please continue to call until you get through. You might also turn on your portable radio to a local station to determine if the problem is regional or statewide instead of just in your neighborhood.

What happens in a power outage

MID learn about an outage if power is lost at a substation or a main line into a substation, or if you call us. We will identify the problem and restore power as quickly as possible, although outage lengths can vary. (209-526-8222) or (1-888-897-8222)

If you see smoke or fire, call 911 immediately.

If you see, hear or smell any signs of an electric flash or fire, or note anything else at the time of the power outage, report these to the MID .

Are your neighbors or the streetlights without power? If not, the problem could be inside your home or business. Check your fuse box or service panel to determine if the problem is internal.

If you receive service from an overhead line, look to see if the service wire has become damaged or pulled away from the building. Do not approach a low hanging wire or wire on the ground. Never approach or touch any wires or touch any surface, tree or objects that is in contact with wires.

If your lights dim or flicker, immediately turn off electronic equipment and wait until the power is stable before turning the equipment back on.

Getting through a power outage

If the outage lasts more than 45 minutes, turn off heating and cooling appliances until after power has been restored for some time. This helps avoid overload from the high demand that is usually experienced right after power has been restored.

During hot weather, a closed-up house often gets hotter. Move outdoors to a shady area or open doors and windows. Continue to drink plenty of water. A power outage is a good time to visit with a neighbor. Stay together until power is restored.

If an extended power outage occurs during a heat wave, tune to 93.1 FM on your portable radio for information.

In cold months close drapes, doors and windows to save heat. Isolate a warm room or fireplace-heated room.

Most modern refrigerators will maintain adequate cooling for over six hours if doors are not opened.

Keep flashlights with fresh batteries in a convenient place. Don’t use candles since they can cause a fire!

Protect your electronic equipment

Protect your electronic equipment Computers, printers, monitors, fax machines, modems, and other electronic equipment are sensitive to changes in electrical voltage. Any appliance that has electronic components or computer chips – even today’s ovens and toasters – is sensitive. Protect the electronic products you value with surge suppressors and uninteruptible power supplies (UPS).

Look for surge suppressors that have telephone jacks and coaxial jacks. The phone jack is for telephones and modems. Coaxial jacks are for your cable or satellite TV. Be sure the surge suppressor you choose meets Underwriters Laboratories standard 1449.

If power goes out, a UPS provides battery power at a constant voltage, giving you several minutes to safely turn off equipment.

If your lights dim or flicker, immediately turn off all electronic equipment. Wait until the power is stable before turning the equipment back on.