Reporting Electrical Trouble
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Spring storms will often bring power outages. When you experience a power outage, do three things.
- Check your fuses and breakers including the breaker on your yard pole. Remember that the yard pole breaker disconnects all your wiring.
- If all lights are off, check with your neighbor to see if their power is off as well.
- Call Southeast Electric at 406.775.8762 or toll free 888.485.8762 to report the outage. Both these phone lines forward to on-call linemen after hours. We will ask your name, location and what time the power went off. Be prepared to report anything unusual along the line such as a broken wire, insulators or tree across the power line.
Do not try to make repairs. Downed power lines are dangerous because they may carry an electric current that can instantly cause injury or possibly death. Never touch the downed line or anything that may be in contact with it. Always treat a downed power line as if it were energized and remember that ANY contact with a power line is potentially deadly. Tell your children about the dangers of downed power lines.
If you are in a vehicle or tractor that comes in contact with a downed power line, STAY PUT! Call us on a cell phone or honk your horn and lower your window to alert passers-by. Caution them to stay away from the vehicle and ask them to call the power company. If you must leave the safety of your vehicle or tractor, remove all loose items—handbags, loose clothing, etc., jump clear, and avoid touching the car and the ground at the same time. Land with both feet as close together as possible, shuffle or "bunny hop" away from the vehicle.
