FOLLOW THESE TIPS FROM YOUR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE TO STAY SAFE:
If lines fall on your vehicle, do not drive away or get out. Stay inside until utility workers say it’s okay. Warn others to stay away. If you must leave the vehicle – only in the case of fire – jump free without touching the ground and auto at the same time, keeping both feet together, and hop to safety. A live wire touching the ground causes electricity to fan out, and walking or running allows one foot to move from one voltage zone to another. Your body then becomes the electricity’s path, and electrocution results.
Assume all power lines are energized and dangerous. Even downed lines that seem “dead” can be re-energized at any time during power restoration efforts or improper use of generators. Lines do not have to be sparking to be live!
Any utility wire, including sagging or downed telephone or cable lines could be in contact with an energized power line, making them very dangerous, too.
Never touch a downed line – or a person or object that is touching it! A downed line can cause things around it to become energized, traveling through the ground to chain link fences or other objects.
If someone is injured from electrical contact, do not try to assist. You could be injured or killed, too. Call 911.
Never drive over a downed line, it could cause poles or other equipment to come crashing down.
Call 911 immediately to report a downed power line. Then call your electric co-op or the local utility.
