Power Restoration

To report an outage, call:

In Warren County 843-9710

Outside Warren County 1-888-604-4321 (toll-free)

When you report an outage, where does the call go?

When you call either of the above outage numbers, you will reach Warren RECC's System Control Center which is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We have two different methods for handling outage calls.

The first, and preferred method, is for the dispatchers themselves to personally answer your call. However, during storms and large outages, it is not possible for the dispatchers to answer all incoming calls. This is when our automated system will receive your call.

The system is designed somewhat like Caller ID. When you call to report an outage, if we have the correct telephone number that matches your account number, the system will automatically display information such as your name, service address, account number, etc. on the dispatcher's computer screen. It also sorts the outages by area and if one of your neighbors has already called, it will inform you that we are aware of the outage and that our crews will be working to correct the problem. However, if we do not have your correct telephone number, the system will not display your information. This is when we have operators listening to your recorded messages and entering data into the automated system.

When using this system, one key question you will be asked is if you know what caused the outage. This is to be used only for specific problems that you are aware of such as downed power lines, a broken pole, fallen trees, etc. If you do not know the specific cause, please do not leave a message since this could hamper the power restoration process.

Whether your outage is reported through a live operator or handled electronically, you can be assured they both go in the same outage system and prioritized according to our power restoration process. Although we prefer to speak with you personally, having over 58,000 members makes that impossible during large outages. So, we must rely on automated assistance to provide you with prompt service.

Our main focus is to always provide you, our member, with the best possible service.

The Power Restoration Process

In the event our system is damaged by severe weather, Warren RECC will first restore those areas which impact the greatest number of our members.

Here's the process:

• Transmission lines serving thousands of members: Transmission towers and lines supply power to one or more substations. These lines seldom fail, but they can be damaged by a hurricane or tornado. Tens of thousands of people could be served by one high voltage transmission line, so the damage here will be the first to receive attention.
• Substations: Warren RECC has several distribution substations, each serving thousands of consumers. When a major outage occurs, the local distribution substations are checked first. A problem here could be caused by failure in the transmission system supplying the substation. If the problem can be corrected at the substation level, power can be restored to a large number of members.
• Distribution lines serving commercial areas and subdivisions: Next, main distribution supply lines are checked if the problem cannot be isolated at the substation. These supply lines carry electricity away from the substation to a group of members, such as a town or housing development. When power is restored at this stage, all members served by this line could see the lights come on as long as there are no problems further down the line.
• Tap lines serving neighborhoods: Tap lines carry power to the utility poles or underground transformers outside homes or other buildings. Line crews work the remaining outages based on restoring power to the greatest number of members after emergency facilities such as hospitals are returned to service.
• Service lines to individual homes and businesses: Sometimes damage will occur on the service line between a residence or business and the utility transformer. This can explain why you have no power when your neighbors do have. Please report the outage as soon as possible.