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Our Emergency Management Plan assigns responsibilities to GUC's entire workforce of 430 employees. In addition to the Electric Department, which shoulders the burden of repairing downed power lines, etc., other departments are involved ‑‑ answering calls around the clock at the Operations Center, delivering food to line crews on site, and performing other duties at our Operations Center, which is the base of our emergency operations. All employees play a role in our efforts to restore power quickly and efficiently.

During an emergency, the Training Room at the Operations Center, 810 Mumford Road, becomes GUC’s base of operations for customer service. An Emergency Call Center is set up in the Training Room for Operators who answer calls from customers around the clock. The Training Room is transformed into “Control Central.” It is set up with tables, supplies, radios, maps, and telephones -- all of the materials we need to direct storm repair activities. 

Our Emergency Management Plan ensures that preparations are made ahead of time ‑‑ crew assignments made, equipment and vehicles checked, materials ordered/ready, etc.

In case of power outages, customers without power are asked to call GUC at 752‑7166, 551-1567 or 752‑5627.

All callers are asked to be patient. GUC has extra phone lines set up that are answered around the clock during emergencies, but it sometimes is difficult to get through when many customers are trying to call at the same time.

GUC's Emergency Management Plan is designed to restore power to the greatest number of people in the quickest amount of time. Again, we ask that customers be patient. Primary lines (serving hundreds of people) are repaired first, followed by secondary lines serving only a few. And, of course, life‑threatening situations ‑‑ hospitals, people on life‑support ‑‑ are a priority.

If your power goes out, GUC offers the following tips:

• Check to see if the outage includes other houses in your neighborhood. If it hasn't, check your fuse box and circuit breaker panel to see if you can locate the problem. If the neighboring houses are dark too, look to see if there are any trees or branches in the lines, and if there are downed wires, flashes of light or any other sign of trouble.
  
• DO NOT TOUCH ANY DOWNED POWER LINES OR ANYTHING THAT IS IN CONTACT WITH A DOWNED POWER
  LINE.
  
• Stay well away from dangerous areas. If a wire falls on your car while you're in it, stay in the car until the wire is removed.
  
• Sometimes tree limbs fall on the wires coming from the pole to your house with such force that the wiring and meter base are pulled from the house. In this case, you must call an electrician to make repairs before GUC can restore your power.
  
• If you keep your refrigerator and freezer closed, the contents should remain safe for at least 24 hours (refrigerator) and 36 hours (freezer).
  
• To prevent overloading the system when power is restored, when the power goes out, turn off everything in your home except for one light. If the outage lasts over 60 minutes, turn off your water heater too. In addition, make sure the surface elements on your range have been turned off and that other heat producing appliances are off as well. If left on, they can pose a serious fire hazard.
  
• When power has been restored, slowly switch your appliance back on over a 30‑60 minute period of time. This will prevent overloading the system, which could lead to another outage.
  
• Prepare an emergency kit that contains a flashlight (and batteries), battery‑powered radio, manual can opener, a wind‑up clock, paper plates and plastic utensils.

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