Storm Preparation - Residential - Central - Liberty
Spring can bring severe weather
Take comfort knowing you're prepared before, during, and after any storm
Throughout the year, our crews train and ready themselves to respond to emergencies. They also take steps to protect and harden our system for those times when Mother Nature delivers a severe-weather event. Preparing ahead allows our crews to be at their best and, if needed, restore service as quickly as possible.
As a customer, there are steps that you and your family can take to prepare for extreme weather and to stay safe during the storm and after it has passed.
Before the storm
- Download Liberty’s My Account app to stay informed through our outage map and enroll in email or text notifications. Learn more.
- Create a basic emergency plan and share it with all members of your household. Be sure to include evacuation routes, shelter areas, and a meeting point outside the home.
- Program the following emergency numbers into your mobile phone:
- Liberty: 1-800-206-2300 (electric and water); 1-800-424-0427 (gas)
- Other utility companies
- Red Cross
- Create an emergency preparedness kit with essentials your family may need if a disaster strikes. Include:
- First-aid essentials such as bandages and adhesive tape
- Medications
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- A sound maker
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Non-perishable foods and manual can opener if needed
- Bottled water (at least one gallon per person per day)
- Baby formula (if applicable)
- Pet food (if applicable)
Download an extreme weather checklist by clicking here.
During the storm
- Get inside. In the event of a tornado, get underground if possible. If there isn’t a basement, go to the lowest floor and move as far as you can into the middle of the building.
- Put on closed-toe, soled shoes. This will protect your feet if you need to walk through debris following the storm.
- Stay away from windows and doors, even if they’re covered. High winds and hail can cause glass to shatter.
- If you experience an outage:
- Use the My Account app on your phone to report your outage and view updates on our outage map.
- Disconnect or turn off any nonessential electrical equipment that may start automatically when power is restored to avoid overloading circuits.
- Do not open freezers or refrigerators more than necessary. Opening will allow food to thaw more quickly.
After the storm
- Always stay away from downed power lines. Even if it appears harmless, the line could still be energized and extremely dangerous. Report downed lines to 911 and Liberty at 1-800-206-2300.
- Do not travel until streets are safe and clear of debris and downed lines. If your vehicle comes into contact with a power line, stay inside. Warn others not to approach or attempt to touch the car or line. Call 911 and Liberty at 1-800-206-2300 immediately.
- If you smell natural gas or suspect a leak, leave the house immediately and call 911 or Liberty’s emergency line at 1-800-406-9220.
- Do not attempt to drive or walk through floodwaters. A few inches of fast-moving water can knock you off your feet and just a foot can sweep vehicles away. Even if the water appears shallow, it could be covering roadway that has been washed away or a downed line.
- Look for damage around your residence that may prevent your power from being restored and have a licensed electrician make repairs as needed. If you are unsure if a line is your responsibility or Liberty’s, contact us at 1-800-206-2300 so we can come take a look.
- Do not wire your generator directly to your breaker fuse box, as it could back feed on power lines and cause serious injury or death to our teams who are working to restore power.
- Take photos or video to document any damage to your home or property, then contact your insurance company to begin the claims process.
- Replenish supplies for any future storms.
Get outage alerts
When power outages occur, stay informed through Liberty My Account email or text notifications.
Learn More
Extreme weather safety tips and information
- Close drapes and blinds on the sunny side of your home to prevent the sun’s rays from directly heating a home.
- Drink plenty of cool liquids, even if you do not feel thirsty.
- Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose clothing.
- Reduce, eliminate, or reschedule strenuous activities to a cooler time of the day.
- Cool down by taking a bath in tepid water. Water conducts heat away from the body, so bathing is an effective cooling technique.
- Gather in a central room where there is an alternative heat source such as a fireplace.
- Make sure each family member has a warm coat, gloves, and hat. Dress in loose layers of clothing.
- If the indoor temperature drops to 55 degrees Fahrenheit or below, open faucets slightly so they constantly drip to prevent water pipes from freezing.
- If candles and portable heaters are used, never leave them unattended.
- Never use a gas range for room heating.
- Never use charcoal as an indoor heating or cooking source.
- Never use gasoline or other flammable liquids to start or quicken a fire. Always keep a screen around an open flame, and don’t close the damper while ashes are still hot.
- Remember, a fuel-burning heater, such as a kerosene heater, requires proper ventilation to prevent buildup of harmful fumes.
- Place heaters on a hard, non-combustible surface.
- Always stay away from power lines. Downed power lines may appear to be harmless, but could be energized and dangerous.
- If a person or object is in contact with a power line, do not touch the person, object, or line. The electric current could flow through to you. Call 911 and Liberty at 1-800-206-2300 (Electric & Water) immediately.
- If your vehicle comes into contact with a power line, stay inside. Warn others not to approach the vehicle or attempt to touch the vehicle or line.
- If you must leave your vehicle, jump clear to avoid being in contact with the car and the ground at the same time.
- Perishable or frozen food that has been held at a temperature above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours should be thrown away.
- Rarely open either the refrigerator or freezer door so cold air does not escape.
- Keep a thermometer in the refrigerator and freezer so you can monitor the temperature when you open the door.
- If an outage appears to be lengthy, pack perishable items into a cooler surrounded by ice or dry ice. If outside temperatures are cold enough, below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, you can store the cooler outdoors.
- After electricity is restored, take the time to examine all of your perishable items to make sure they have not spoiled. If in doubt, throw it out!
- Before returning food to a refrigerator or freezer, clean and disinfect it thoroughly. You can sanitize the space with one teaspoon of bleach in one quart of water. Do not use more bleach, as it can be toxic. Leave the door open until it dries completely.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper usage of a portable generator.
• Only operate generators outdoors to avoid deadly fumes accumulating in the house.
• When using a portable generator, plug appliances directly into the generator.
• Only refuel the generator when the engine is off and cool.
• Never connect a portable generator or alternative energy system (such as wind or solar) to your home’s main electrical panel. This creates the potential for electricity to back feed into electric lines and may result in injury or death to line workers or others.
Liberty asks customers who are dependent on electricity for life-sustaining equipment to register their information annually by contacting Liberty at 1-800-206-2300 (Electric & Water). Customer service representatives can provide a form that must be signed by a physician. This information allows Liberty to have complete knowledge about each customer’s individual needs.
Registration does not guarantee continuous service or priority restoration, nor does it prevent disconnection from service resulting from late or unpaid account balances. Liberty encourages customers dependent on electricity for medical equipment to have a back-up power source or maintain an up-to-date relocation plan until power is restored.
Liberty installs and maintains these components:
1. The service wire that carries energy from the service line to your home or business
2. The electric meter that measures how much energy you are using
The customer is responsible for these components:
3. The service bracket or pipe riser that protects the connection point for the lines entering your home or business
4. The weatherhead which keeps rain and other material out of the pipe riser
5. The pipe riser which protects the lines entering the meter base
6. The meter base that protects your connections to the meterOnly a licensed electrician should ever attempt to work on these parts of your electrical system.
Occasionally, we issue boil advisories to ensure the safety and health of our water customers. Learn more about boil advisories through the link below.
Water expands as it freezes, which can put pressure on metal or plastic pipes and can cause them to break. Learn how to weatherize your pipes and how to prevent them from breaking if they do freeze.
Most people are familiar with the distinctive "pungent odor" aroma added to natural gas. It’s often compared to sulfur or rotten eggs. If you're a Liberty gas customer and smell gas in your home, or suspect a gas leak, call us at 1-800-406-9220 (Gas) or call 9-1-1 right away.
Report an issue
Electric customers, call Liberty at 1-800-206-2300 to report outages, flickering lights, downed lines, or other electrical problems.
Natural gas customers, call 9-1-1, or Liberty at 1-800-406-9220 (Gas) to report a natural gas emergency.
You can also report your outage online via My Account.
How we respond to power outages
Downed power line safety
How we restore gas service
How we prepare for extreme weather