Liberty Utilities asks for customers to be prepared for power outages

Weather conditions are expected to worsen over the weekend and increased power outages are anticipated. Liberty Utilities is doing all possible for preventative measures, however they are urging their customers to be prepared.

The utility company has added additional line crews for the weekend in preparation and will address the most serious and potential safety situations in priority.

They are asking customers to only call in case of an emergency 1-844-245-6868.

Their website has updated outage information: libertyutilities.com. Select "enter" on the home page and then go to "emergencies and outages."

As of 10:30 am this morning, less than 500 customers were without power mostly in the north shore and west shore areas. After the initial winter storm hit last week, Liberty crews have worked round-the-clock restoring power to thousands of customers and additional contracted crews have been called in to assist.

Repairs are prioritized based on safety concerns.

Last week’s storms left behind broken power poles and downed wires that interrupted power to thousands in the Lake Tahoe region. With the heavy snow and avalanche warnings, access to make repairs has been challenging. Even finding the source of the problem has been difficult given that snapped power poles can be hidden in snow-laden trees (see photo). The major cause of the snapped poles and downed wires are trees and branches heavy with snow falling on these structures—especially during windy conditions.

“We are very aware of the inconvenience power outages cause for our customers,” states Paulette Sproul, Director for Care Operations in California. “In extreme weather conditions, we ask our customers to be prepared for possible extended outages, especially if they live in remote areas.”

Liberty Utilities offers the following advice if your power goes out:

- If the power goes off during cold weather, keep all doors closed to keep the heat inside. Have your family dress warmly and stay together in the same room or area. Even in very cold weather, the house will stay comfortable for several hours.
- Keep your refrigerator and freezer closed as much as possible. The contents should be good for many hours if the door is kept closed.
- Turn off all appliances, including computers and peripherals, especially those that generate heat. This helps prevent hazards or damage when service is restored.
- Turn off all lights except one inside your home/business and one outside. The inside light lets you see
and the outside light lets Liberty Utilities’ crews know when the power is back on.
- When power has been restored, please conserve electricity in the first hours to prevent further outages on your lines. Bring up the temperature in one room of the house or in one heating zone, if you have electric space heating. We ask that you not use electric stoves and clothes dryers in the first hour after restoration.

“We want to thank our customers for their patience during this time,” Sproul added. “We also want to encourage them to take preventative measures to ensure they don’t place themselves or their families in danger during these extremely cold temperatures, especially if their power goes out.”