If your life, or the life of a loved one, depends on electrically-powered medical equipment, such as a ventilator or kidney dialysis machine, please let us know so that you can be placed on our registry as needing alternate sources of power in cases of planned power outages.
Please be aware that we cannot guarantee an uninterrupted supply of electricity. If your name is on our registry, we will, however, make every effort to inform you of any power outages scheduled by Umatilla Electric Cooperative (UEC), so that you can make alternate arrangements to have sufficient back-up power to support your critical equipment.
Although Umatilla Electric Cooperative has one of the most reliable electrical distribution systems — bringing power to your home 99.98% of the time, power outages will occur. Most power outages are caused by unpredictable events such as lightning, equipment failure, or extreme weather conditions.
Customers on electric-powered life support systems are advised to make arrangements to prepare for unpredictable power outages. Be prepared!
What You Can Do To Prepare
We want to remind you to please be prepared in case temporary power outages do occur. Some things that you can do to prepare for power outages include:
- Keeping phone numbers of emergency response agencies (e.g., 911, hospital, fire department, police) in a convenient location, in the event emergency assistance is needed.
- Having an alternate plan in place to ensure the continuity of any life-support needs. This may include making special arrangements to spend time with a friend or relative during an outage or using a back-up generator.
- If you use a back-up generator, please understand that customers are responsible for the safe installation, use, and maintenance of any back-up power.
- Purchasing equipment that has battery back-up. Most life support equipment includes battery operated options which are also portable. This will provide time for alternate arrangements to be made. Remember to keep the battery charged and to test the battery every six months.
- Ensuring that you have a back-up telephone if you use a cordless or other telephone that is dependent on electricity.
- Having a battery-powered radio on hand and a supply of fresh batteries to stay aware of news and other information.
- Keeping an emergency box or bag of supplies, such as medical items, flashlights, and candles, packed at all times. It’s much easier to locate one box or bag of supplies in the dark rather than searching around the house looking for each item.