Power Outages

If your power goes out, know the location of the fuse or breaker box(es) in your home; they are usually located on an interior wall near your electric meter. Check the fuses and/or circuit breakers to be sure the trouble is not in your household electric system. Plan ahead if possible, keep a working flashlight and spare fuses of the correct size and type ready to use if needed.

Social Media

Please check out our social media posts during business hours to see if we are already aware:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter

If you do not have access to the internet (via smartphone, etc.), feel free to call us.  Due to the nature of service outages, City staff are unable to give estimated times for restoration unless the outage was planned.

Thank you in advance for your help in keeping things right.

Contact Us

Power Outage Report Form

• Use the online Power Outage Reporting Form  during business hours to inform City staff of the outage.  

This is our preferred way of contact, as this leaves call lines open for emergencies. This notification is sent to multiple city departments.  This form is used for reporting only, staff will only contact you if they need more information regarding the outage. If your power is still off within two hours after the outage, then please call us .

Call

• During Business Hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday call 763-576-2903  and press 0 to let us know of any electrical outages. 
• If you call after hours, calls will roll over to our third-party call center, press 1 for electrical outages. Officials there will dispatch on-call linemen for repair(s) 24-7.

In the event that the power outage covers a large area, it is very likely that we will receive multiple phone calls and the voicemail will fill.  Chances are, we are aware of the outage at that point. If your power is still off within two hours after the outage, please try calling again.  As always, if it is an emergency situation, please continue to call, or dial 911.

What to do During a Power Outage

Here are some tips for during a power outage. 

• Refer to your power outage plan if you have one.
• If you have a medical condition,  prepare your back-up oxygen and/or battery back-up system for use if needed. 
• Check on family, friends, and neighbors who may have medical conditions; call 911 with emergency situations. 
• Close shades to keep heat outside. 
• Cool down with a battery fan but keep usage of heat producing items like candles and oil lamps to a minimum if hot outside. 
• Consider tasks and or leisure at an appropriate air-conditioned/heated store or facility. 
• If it is cool outside, open windows to bring the cool air in if needed, or vice versa, open doors at minimum to keep heat inside. 
• Keep freezer and refrigerator doors closed as much as possible to keep foods from spoiling. 
• Keep freezers full with purchased bagged ice, or previously frozen water jugs if needed. 
• Plan for cooking outdoors if needed.
• Always stay hydrated, drink plenty of water.
• Check social media for outage updates.

Why the Outage?

A great portion of outages, and the number one reason in Anoka, is due to squirrels interfering with the power lines.  The next top reason is from those digging without following safe digging guidelines. Unfortunately, we won’t have a reason for the outage to give at the time that calls start coming in. At this time, our equipment does not have the capability to relay real time information of that type. Therefore, city staff are unable to give estimated times for restoration unless the outage was planned.  We appreciate your letting us know about outages, and we greatly appreciate your patience!

Preparing Your Home for Power Outages

 Here are some planning tips to prepare before power outages. 

• Have a plan in place for electric power outages 4+ hours at your home or business.
• If you have a medical condition, plan ahead. Have back-up oxygen available and/or battery back-up system ready at home. 
• Have phone numbers written down of family, friends, and neighbors who may have medical conditions; call 911 with emergency situations. 
• Have window shades to keep heat outside. 
• Have a battery-powered fan and extra batteries set aside to help stay cool. 
• Have flashlights, candles, or battery lamps with extra batteries set aside.
• Have battery packs ready and charged for extra cell phone battery, if applicable.
• Consider tasks and or leisure at an appropriate air-conditioned store or facility. 
• Keep freezers full to stay cold longer; freeze water jugs if needed. 
• Plan for cooking outdoors, maintain stock of supplies. 
• Clear the area around your AC equipment, consider annual inspection(s). 
• Have some hand sanitizer on hand.
• Have plenty of drinking water on hand.

Use our printable Power Outage Preparedness Tips Checklist to put your outage plan in place today!