Preparing Your Home’s Electrical System for Alabama Storm Season
Severe thunderstorms, high wind and storm-driven tree damage are a fact of life in Alabama, and they bring power outages with them. You cannot prevent a storm, but a bit of preparation changes how it feels when the lights go out.
Think of the work in three stages: before the storm, during the outage, and after, when the real electrical hazards often appear.
Before the storm: know your home
Locate your main breaker and make sure everyone in the house knows where it is. Label breakers clearly so you can turn off specific circuits if needed. Keep flashlights and fresh batteries where you can find them in the dark, and charge phones and battery packs when severe weather is in the forecast. Have a plan for anyone in the household who depends on powered medical equipment, and talk to your provider and your utility ahead of time rather than during an outage.
Install battery-operated or battery-backup carbon monoxide alarms on every level and near bedrooms, and test them. If you might use a generator, this is not optional. Know your utility’s phone number too. Alabama Power customers can report outages and downed lines at 1-800-888-2726; if your home is served by a co-op or municipal system, find that number now.
Generator readiness
If you own a portable generator, run it before storm season, with the fuel fresh and the equipment in working order, and keep safe cords on hand. Decide ahead of time where it will run outdoors, at least 20 feet from the house per U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission guidance, with exhaust pointed away from the home. If you have a standby generator, confirm it completes its self-test and that the area around it is clear of leaves and debris.
Never plug a generator into a wall outlet to power your house. Alabama Power’s guidance is to plug appliances directly into the generator and not into your home’s wiring. If you want house power without cords, have a licensed electrician install a transfer switch.
Surge awareness
Lightning and utility switching can send spikes through wiring that damage electronics. Surge protection is a topic outside the services we offer, but the general awareness is worth having: the only certain way to isolate sensitive equipment from a surge is to unplug it, so when a severe storm is overhead, consider unplugging computers, TVs and other electronics you care about. Power strips marketed for surge protection can help with small surges but do not make a device immune to a direct strike. Ask us whether a specific concern is something we handle.
During the outage
Treat every electrical wire outside as live. Keep refrigerators and freezers closed as much as possible; Alabama Power advises this to help preserve food. Leave one light switched on so you will notice when power returns, and consider turning off or unplugging large appliances to avoid a surge when it does. Never heat the house with a stove, grill, or generator indoors. Report the outage to your utility rather than assuming others have; the utility’s alerts and outage map can show what is being worked on.
After the storm: downed lines and damage
Stay far away from downed power lines and anything touching them, including puddles near them, and keep children and pets away. Alabama Power says to assume any downed line is live, not to try to remove limbs from lines, and to call 911 if someone is caught in lines. Report downed lines to the utility or local police or fire.
If the mast, weatherhead or meter base on your home was pulled loose or damaged, that is a hazard and needs a licensed electrician before the utility can reconnect safely. Do not touch it.
Flooded electrical systems
Water and electricity do not mix, and flood-damaged wiring and equipment can be dangerous even after the water recedes. CDC and FEMA guidance is consistent: do not turn the power back on until a qualified electrician has inspected the system, and keep cord-connected appliances unplugged until they have been checked. If you can reach the main breaker from a dry spot, you may turn it off; if you would have to stand in water, call an electrician. If you see sparks or frayed wiring, or smell something burning, shut off the main breaker immediately.
Outlets, switches, breakers and panels that have been under water often need replacement, not just drying out. This is licensed electrician work.
If water reached outlets, the panel or the meter, or the service equipment was damaged, keep the power off until a licensed electrician has inspected it. Call your utility for downed lines.