All Singing River Electric service territory is first visually inspected to assess damage. Substations and transmission lines are the first priority. The primary taps which branch off the major feeders are repaired next. After the main network is energized, lines to individual members are repaired.
Crews begin work on all substations and extend outward. Keep in mind that additional crews are called in to assist with restoration when major outages occur.
Does SRE know my power is out?
Following a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane there is no need to call and report an outage. Our efforts are focused on restoring power to your home or business as quickly as possible and we know wide areas are out of service. However, following a summer thunderstorm or lesser weather event, we may not know about your power outage. Please call any of our offices and report the power disturbance.
Stay safe during a power outage. You and your family's safety is our greatest concern. Always assume all power lines are live and dangerous. Report any downed power lines and keep away from flooded areas and piles of debris, as they may contain downed power lines. Also, stay away from heavily damaged areas as you may interfere with rescue and restoration efforts, as well as jeopardize your own safety.
Why did SRE crews leave my neighborhood when my power is still out?
Before repairs can be made, crews must survey the damage so as to position crews efficiently and address any potentially dangerous situations. Also, the damage may be between your home and the source of power for your area. Finally, repairs must be made in an order that will restore power to the greatest number of members first.
Why does my neighbor have power and I don't?
Storm damage can affect main power lines, individual circuits or both. Your individual circuit could be damaged or your home could be on a different main line than your neighbors. Your home may also need repairs internally by a qualified electrician before you can receive electric service.
What does SRE do to prevent power outages?
No one can prevent outages completely, however, there are many actions taken to limit disturbances. Singing River Electric's routine right-of-way clearance program helps prevent power interruptions by trimming or removing trees and brush within 15-feet of Primary wires and 5-feet of Secondary wires. This is important because tree-to-line contact can cause interruptions or blinks in power as well as extended outages during storms or strong winds. Our contract line re-clearing crews are trained in proper tree trimming and pruning techniques, and they take steps to protect the health of trees. Give us a call prior to a storm if you have a tree on your property that should be trimmed or removed from the right-of-way clearance zones.
Also, SRE has employees dedicated to pole, transformer, and substation maintenance year-round. We also establish four-year construction work plans and ten-year long range work plan designed to plan for maintenance and/or building of infrastruction in order to ensure reliable electric service today and tomorrow.
