Outage Checklist - Custer Public Power District

Outages happen...storms, high winds, nosy animals in substations, lightning, equipment failure, tree contact, and public accidents are among the many causes of power outages.

In a recent survey, Custer Power customers rated our reliability of service at 8.6 on a scale of 10. We constantly strive to make this satisfaction level higher and won’t be satisfied with less than a 10.

After normal work hours on weekdays and weekends, we have an on-call representative to receive outage and emergency calls and each service area has someone on standby to respond to outage situations.

Widespread outages caused by wind and ice storms will take some time to repair. Normally, Custer will issue press releases to local radio stations advising of current conditions. Our personnel will work long hours during difficult and undesirable conditions to restore service.

Power Outage Checklist:

Check breaker and fuses.
Check to see if neighbors have lights.
Call Custer Power at (308) 872-2451 or 1-888-749-2453.

If the lines are busy, please be patient. Others may be calling to report outages. If the power outage involves several customers, we may call you to verify that your electric service is restored, providing you have reported the outage to us. Please call us if you see anything out of the ordinary, such as tree limbs on the line, downed wires or wires off the pole. Please use only the phone number listed. DO NOT call any phone number that may show up on caller ID. That phone number is not connected to our on-call representatives.

Call Checklist:

(When calling to report a problem, please have the following information available to assist our linemen in quickly correcting the problem.)

Your name.
Meter number.
Brief report of problem.
Your phone number.

Where will you be when the lights go off? What will you do? Here are some tips:

Make sure you have at least one good flashlight with fresh batteries.
Have a battery-operated radio ready.
Keep emergency numbers posted near the telephone.
Remember, telephones with answering machines rely on electricity to operate.
Keep the refrigerator door closed.
Food will keep for several hours in a closed refrigerator and up to two days in the freezer--provided the door remains shut. Rely on prepared foods from your shelf first. If you must prepare a meal with food from the refrigerator, get what you need quickly and close the door.
If the outage is not associated with an extreme emergency or storm, relax; chances are our professional staff will have your power restored shortly.

Stay away from downed power lines - Powerlines can be dangerous! Consider any downed power line as extremely dangerous. Don't ever go near a downed line and don't let anyone else near them. Report downed lines at once to Custer Power at (308) 872-2451 or 1-888-749-2453.

Standby Generators: Warning! If you use a standby generator during power outages, remember that improper generator hookup can create serious problems in safety and service. It is very important that your generator have a double-throw switch. This switching device is used to transfer the electric service from the power line to the generator. If it is not used, feedback from the generator voltage on power lines could endanger the lives of line crews working to restore your power.