If, No, When the Power Goes Out ...

Read this while you still can.

With many national and state forecasters and government officials predicting a record number of power outages up and down the east coast including here in Belmont, the local electrical utility, the Belmont Municipal Light Department has issued a procedure list if or when the lights go out.

During An Outage

Should an outage occur, call the Light Department at 617‐993‐2800. Don’t call 911 to ask about the power outage. Check the neighborhood to see if everyone is without power and then call BMLD at 617‐993‐2800 to report the outage.

• Stay indoors, but if you do need to go out, use extreme caution, especially on
roads without working traffic signals. Be cautious of any downed power lines –
they may be live.

• Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to prevent food spoilage.

• Never use your gas grill or charcoal grill indoors for cooking, and never use your oven to keep the house warm.

• Shut‐off any electronic equipment that was operating when the power went off.

• Shut‐off all your major electric appliances to stabilize the electric system when
power is restored.

When power is restored

• Wait a few minutes before turning on major electric appliances. This will help
eliminate problems that could occur if there’s a surge in demand immediately
after power is restored.

• If you think that electric power has been restored to your area but your home is still without power, call BMLD at 617‐993‐2800.

If you have a generator

•Never plug a generator into any electric outlets. Generators can feed electricity
back into the power lines, causing dangerous conditions for our repair crews.
You could damage your appliances or your neighbors’ appliances.

Should an outage occur, please call the BMLD at 617‐993‐2800.