Restoring Power
After A Major Outage
The major cause of outages is damage caused by fallen trees. That's why Blue Ridge Electric has an ongoing right-of-way maintenance program. However, restoring power after a major outage is a big job that involves much more than simply throwing a switch or removing a tree from a line.
The main goal is to restore power safely to the greatest number of members in the shortest time possible. The following steps explain how power is typically restored after a major disaster or storm.
Step 1. Transmission structures and lines supply power to one or more transmission substations. These lines seldom fall, but a hurricane, tornado, or a direct lightening strike can damage them. These lines will receive first priority because they serve tens of thousands of people.
Step 2. Blue Ridge Electric has many local distribution substations, each serving thousands of customers. When a major outage occurs, substations are checked first. If the problem can be corrected at the substation level, power may be restored to a large number of people quickly.
Step 3. If the problem cannot be found in the substation, distribution supply lines are checked. These are the lines that you see on power poles along the sides of our roads or that may run under the ground in some areas. When the problem can be corrected at this stage, all customers served by this distribution supply line will see power restored, if there is no problem farther down the line.
Step 4. The final supply lines, called "tap lines", tap off of the main distribution supply lines down secondary roads and driveways to the transformer poles or underground padmounted transformers outside of houses or other buildings. Again, these problems are corrected based on restoring service to the greatest number of customers.
Step 5. Damage can occur on the service line leading from the transformer pole into your home or building. This can explain why your neighbors have power and you don't. Please notify Blue Ridge Electric of this situation so a service crew can be dispatched to repair it. However, if there is damage to the service entrance cable that leads directly into the meter box on your home or building, you will need to contact a licensed electrician for repairs.
Note: Individual households may receive special attention if loss of electricity affects life support systems or poses another immediate danger. If you or a family member depends on life support, contact Blue Ridge Electric before an emergency arises.
*To report an outage, please call our toll free PowerLine number:
1-800-448-2383; or phone your local Blue Ridge Electric office at the following numbers:
| Alleghany |
(336) 372-4646 |
| Ashe |
(336) 246-7138 |
| Caldwell |
(828) 758-2383 |
| Watauga |
(828) 264-8894 |
| Wilkes |
(336) 838-4655 |
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