OFF THE GRID: United States and Jefferson County, Texas Power Outage Tracker (2024)

FAQs

How do I check the status of my power outage in Texas? ›

You can report a power outage or check the status of a previously reported power outage via our online reporting tool. You can also call us at 888.313. 4747. If you have signed up for My Oncor Alerts, text OUT to 66267 (ONCOR).

If a utilities issue and you are in Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) territory (City of Los Angeles), visit LADWP.com Outage Information page or call 1(800) 342-5397.

CenterPoint Energy provides its customers with a convenient online power outage map. To access this map, go to the CenterPoint Energy website and select the “Power Outages” page.

As the USDA notes in Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency, your refrigerator will keep food safe for up to 4 hours during a power outage. Keep the door closed as much as possible. Discard refrigerated perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers after 4 hours without power.

The most common type, these outages are short-lived, lasting from a few seconds to a couple of hours. They often result from small glitches like equipment hiccups or minor grid fluctuations. During these quick interruptions, you might notice your lights flicker before they return to full brightness.

What is ERCOT? Texas is not only rich in natural resources needed to produce energy, but it is also the only U.S. state to have its own electric grid.

Texas's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has attributed 210 deaths to the outages, with causes like hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning (2), but the true number of outage-related deaths may top 700 when considering indirect deaths (3). Three factors led to severe outages.

The U.S. States with the Most and Least Power Outages

With the most annual power outages, Maine is surely left in the dark. The Pine Tree State tops the list with an average of 4.35 power outages every year, a stark increase above the national average of 1.62 per year.

What number is 800 342 5397? ›

To report a power outage or water main break:

Call 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397) or go online to ladwp.com/outages.

You can also request it online (Send us an email), by phone 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397), or in person (visit any of our LADWP Customer Service Centers).

The ERCOT grid covers 75% of the land area of Texas and serves 90% of the state's electricity needs, including all of Harris County. El Paso and far West Texas are in the Western Interconnection, and portions of East Texas and the Panhandle region are in the Eastern Interconnection.

All you need to do is locate your local Transmission and Distribution Service Provider (TDSP) and call them from a phone that's working during the outage. You can also call your TDSP if you require support restoring power to your home.

Use a receptacle voltage tester by plugging the device into the outlet. The lights on the device will come on to indicate the presence of a live electrical current. Test an electrical outlet with a non-contact voltage tester by holding the tester about an inch away from the short slot on the outlet.

Turn on your multimeter and set it to VDC (Volts DC).

If you don't have a power supply tester, you can use a multimeter to check the voltage of your power supply. If your multimeter does not have an auto-range feature, set it to 10.00V.

To determine the length of the power loss, look at any analog AC-powered clocks. They will be behind the current time by the amount of time the power was off.

Depending on the amount of water remaining in the pipes, you might be able to flush your toilet several times while the power is out. Eventually, however, your tank won't fill up anymore because the pumps are down. When this happens, you will need to flush your toilet manually by pouring in a bucket of water.