GUC’s Emergency Storm Plan is ready to be put into action at a moment’s notice. During a hurricane or winter storm, visit our outage map for the latest updates.
We suggest the following during weather emergencies:
- If your power goes out, check to see if the outage includes other houses in your neighborhood. If it hasn't, check your fuse box and circuit breaker panel to see if you can locate the problem. If the neighboring houses are dark too, look to see if there are any trees or branches in the lines, and if there are downed wires, flashes of light or any other sign of trouble.
- When an outage occurs, call Greenville Utilities at our toll-free Emergency Hotline, 1-855-767-2482. Please be patient. Greenville Utilities emergency storm plan is designed to restore electric service to the largest amount of customers in the quickest amount of time. Primary lines are repaired first, followed by secondary lines that serve fewer customers. We also consider medical facilities and individual customers on life-support systems a top priority.
- Don't touch or attempt to move electric lines or trees or any other obstacles in contact with electric lines. Stay well away from dangerous areas. If a wire falls on your car while you're in it, stay in the car until the wire is removed.
- Sometimes tree limbs fall on the wires coming from the pole to your house with such force that the wiring and meter base are pulled from the house. In this case, you must call an electrician to make repairs before GUC can restore your power.
- To prevent overloading the system when power is restored, when the power goes out, turn off everything in your home except for one light. If the outage lasts over 60 minutes, turn off your water heater too. In addition, make sure the surface elements on your range have been turned off and that other heat‑producing appliances are off as well. If left on, they can pose a serious fire hazard. When the light you've left on glows, you'll know power has been restored. Over the next 30‑40 minutes, slowly switch your appliances back on. Leave a porch light on so that GUC repair crews will know when your service has been restored.
Using a generator? Important safety information.