How do I report a power outage?
Report it — even if you assume they already know
The utility may not know you're out: FirstEnergy asks customers to report even if a neighbor already has, because its system works best when it receives plenty of information to analyze. A block where three households report beats a block where everyone assumed someone else did — and if the utility believes your area is already restored (it happens after big repairs — see how restoration works), your report is what gets the rest fixed: SMUD says a customer told the power is restored who is still without it is most likely on a secondary outage that still needs to be reported.
Thirty seconds before you report: is it just you?
Check the main breaker and any tripped GFCI outlets, and glance at the neighbors. If the block has power and you don't, say exactly that when you report — a service-line problem is a different crew and a different fix than an area outage. The full checklist, including partial-power warning signs worth mentioning, is in why is my power out.
A downed line is a 911 call first
If a power line is down, the Red Cross says to stay at least 35 feet away from it and anything it is touching, and to call 911. Downed wires can electrocute you, its power outage checklist warns, so keep everyone back and treat every downed line as live. Then tell the utility too: SMUD, for one, puts situations where public safety is at risk, like downed power lines and poles, first.
The fastest ways to report
Utilities take reports through an app or website outage form and an outage phone line, and some by text: SMUD, FirstEnergy and National Grid all take a text that says OUT. The number is printed on your bill, and the official links live on your utility's site. Save your utility's reporting route in your phone now (when we have a link for your utility, searching your address on our live map shows a Report your outage button that opens the utility's own site). Report once: Entergy says repeat reports for the same outage don't change restoration times and tie up phone lines.
What details actually help
Have your service address and account number ready — SMUD's outage form, for one, asks for the street number and the phone, meter or account number. Beyond that, say what you observed: whole home or partial power, whether neighbors are out, anything you saw or heard (a bang, a flash, a tree limb on the line), and any hazard. Say so plainly if it's partial power or a line down: EWEB's outage line, for example, has its own option for reporting a partial outage, and a downed line is a safety report — and a 911 call first.
What happens after you report
Your report joins the outage-management system's map; crews are dispatched in the restoration priority order — hazards and transmission first, then the repairs that restore the most customers, then individual services. The posted restoration time may move, especially early: initial estimates are made before damage assessment finishes. Our reliability research tracks how often a posted restoration time moves later before the lights come back — counting the posted times that reach us through the federal county outage data, not the times on utilities' own outage maps — so plan with a margin.
Ignore the payment calls
After big storms, the FTC warns, scammers pose as the utility and may even promise to restore your service faster if you pay — they won't. Another utility scam the FTC describes is a call saying your electricity will be shut off unless you pay a past-due bill. Crews don't work that way, and the FTC warns that legitimate companies don't demand one specific method of payment and don't generally accept gift cards, cash reload cards or cryptocurrency. Hang up and contact your utility using the number on your bill or its website, never a number the caller gave you. Report the scam to the real utility so they can warn others, and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Reporting for someone else
You can usually report an outage at someone else's address — an elderly parent, a relative you check on — through the utility's outage line or form using their address. If that household depends on powered medical equipment, reporting early matters more, and it's worth setting up the utility's medical registry ahead of time; our medical-device guide covers that and the backup planning that goes with it.
Then let the updates come to you
After reporting, you don't have to redial the outage line for news. Search your address on our live map for the outage count in your county (or your city, where the utility publishes one), the utility's posted restoration time (when one is available) as it changes, and our independent estimate when the data supports one — county-wide estimates have a public accuracy record — plus a free browser alert when the outage in your area looks mostly restored.
- Red Cross — Power outage safety
- Red Cross — Power outage safety checklist (PDF)
- FTC — Empower yourself against utility scams
- FTC — Avoid weather-related utility scams (Jan. 2026)
- FirstEnergy — If you lose power
- SMUD — Outage FAQs
- National Grid — Our restoration process
- Entergy — How we restore your power
- EWEB — Partial power and flickering lights
General safety information drawn from the public sources linked above, not medical, electrical or legal advice for your situation. In an emergency, call 911.