Power Outage FAQ

Outages should be reported to us by calling 361-771-4400 or 979-245-3029. Before you report an outage, safely check your breakers to see whether any have tripped and check to see if your neighbors are out as well.

We suggest creating an outage preparation kit that includes items such as a portable radio, batteries, phone, cash, bottled water, and a flashlight.

During widespread outages, our automated system takes members’ calls and routes outage information to service crews more quickly than a manual call system, helping us restore your power more efficiently.

First check your fuses or circuit breakers, making sure they have not blown or tripped. Next call Jackson Electric Cooperative and have your account number ready. Let us know if you saw or heard anything, such as sparks, loud noises, and trees or limbs on the power lines. This will help our field crews find the problem quickly to get your power restored.

The outage restoration process begins at the point where electricity feeds into our system. This could be at a substation, transmission line, or a main distribution line. After these repairs have been made, crews work on remaining outages, beginning with areas serving the greatest number of members and continuing until electricity is restored to all members.

It may be because work must first be performed at a nearby location before electric service can be restored to you and your neighbors. Following the outage restoration process ensures all customers have their power restored as quickly and safely as possible.

One of the easiest ways members can help us increase the reliability of our electric distribution is to report trees growing near our lines and facilities. While everyone appreciates the beauty and shade provided by trees, but branches growing too close to our overhead power lines can cause outages when they contact or fall on the lines, especially during severe weather such as high winds or ice storms.

It depends on the cause of the outage. If an electrical problem in your home is not the cause and your neighbor has electricity and you do not, they may receive their electricity from a different power line, or their home is located on a different circuit than your home.

Following severe storms, damage to our electric distribution system may be extensive. In that case, it could take hours, or even several days, to complete repairs. The plan could include arrangements to move to an alternate location, use of a portable generator and/or installation of a battery backup on important electrical devices.

Report the fallen line to JEC immediately by calling 361-771-4400 or 979-245-3029. Consider all fallen power lines to be energized, regardless of whether they appear to be safe. Stay as far away from them as possible, and make sure your children, pets and neighbors stay far away from the power line and any objects it may be touching.

Use properly rated surge protectors to provide a defense against power spikes and surges. A lighting strike or downed power line can send a surge of electricity through your home that can potentially damage appliances, computers, televisions, and other electronic equipment.

Our social media profiles are not tied to our outage reporting system and are not continuously monitored. If you experience an outage, please report it by calling 361-771-4400 or 979-245-3029.

While even one of our members without power is a problem we take very seriously, to avoid posting information on our social media pages that is not relevant to the majority of our members, in most cases we try to post only information about outages that affect about one percent (2,500) of our active accounts for at least 30 minutes.

During an outage, crews are working to locate faults and restore power and they don’t always have the ability to provide our control center with estimates or updates. Each outage is a result of different circumstances, and some outages may take longer to identify and restore than others. Sometimes damage to our system is extensive (lines down, broken poles, etc.), or equipment locations are hard or impossible to get to depending on the conditions. Lineworkers may have to patrol lines and fix problems on foot, as roads or right-of-ways may be impassable for service vehicles because of flooding, ice, downed trees, or other conditions.

A generator can be a wonderful tool during an outage, but it can also be extremely dangerous if used improperly. Without a transfer switch, a generator is a fire hazard if it’s online when electricity is restored. Improper connection of a generator to your home’s electrical circuits also endangers service crews working to restore power. If used without ventilation, generators can cause deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. Never use a generator indoors.