What to Do During a Power Outage in Lincoln: Safety Steps Before You Call

When the power goes out in Lincoln, start by staying calm and making the house safe. Turn off or unplug sensitive electronics and major appliances, leave one light switch on so you notice when power returns, and keep the refrigerator and freezer closed. Then check whether neighbors are affected, since that tells you whether the problem is on the utility's side or inside your walls. Never touch a downed line, never run a generator indoors, and never force a tripped breaker. The steps below explain how to sort out the cause and who to call first.

How do I tell if the outage is my home or the whole neighborhood?

Begin with the simplest observation: look outside. If streetlights are dark and neighboring houses have no lights, the problem is almost certainly on the utility's equipment. In Lincoln, that often follows a thunderstorm, high winds, an ice storm, or a vehicle striking a pole. If the neighbors' windows are lit while yours are dark, the fault is more likely inside your property, at your meter, service cable, or panel.

Partial outages deserve attention too. If only some rooms or outlets are dead, a tripped breaker or a failed connection is the likely cause. If lights are dim, flicker, or some appliances run oddly while others do not, you may be dealing with a lost leg of the incoming 240-volt service or a loose neutral. That condition can damage electronics, so switch off sensitive equipment and treat it as urgent rather than waiting to see whether it clears.

A few quick checks help confirm the picture. Use a battery-powered flashlight rather than candles. Check your phone for the utility's online outage map, using mobile data if Wi-Fi is down. Look at your electrical panel for tripped breakers, and check any ground-fault outlets in the kitchen, bathroom, garage, or outdoors, since a tripped GFCI can silence an entire circuit. Note what you see, because those details help whoever you call.

What should I do in the first few minutes of an outage?

Protect your equipment first. When power returns, surges can damage computers, televisions, HVAC controls, and other electronics. Unplug the valuable ones, and switch off large appliances such as the range, dryer, and air conditioner so they do not all start at once. Leaving a single lamp switched on gives you a clear signal when service is restored.

Next, protect your food and your health. A closed refrigerator keeps food cold for roughly four hours, and a full freezer holds for about 48 hours if the door stays shut. Lincoln winters and summers both raise the stakes: in January, an unheated home can become dangerous within hours, and in July heat poses a risk to older adults, infants, and pets. Plan a warm or cool place to go if the outage drags on, and keep medical devices in mind, especially anything that depends on electricity.

Be careful with alternative power and heat. Generators must run outdoors, well away from windows, doors, and vents, because carbon monoxide builds up quickly and has no smell. Never connect a generator to a home outlet or panel without a properly installed transfer switch, since back-feeding can energize lines and injure utility crews. Avoid using grills, camp stoves, or ovens for heat indoors. A battery-powered carbon monoxide alarm is worth having ready.

Is it safe to reset the main breaker myself?

Sometimes, but with limits. If you find a single branch breaker tripped, it is generally reasonable to switch it fully off, then back on once. Stand to the side, keep your hand dry, and make sure the floor around the panel is dry. Before you reset, unplug whatever was on that circuit, since an overloaded or faulty appliance is a common cause. If the breaker holds, the issue may have been a temporary overload.

Stop if the breaker trips again right away, if it feels hot, if you smell burning, or if you see scorch marks, melted plastic, or moisture in the panel. Those signs point to a short circuit, damaged wiring, or failing equipment, and repeated resets only add heat and risk. Do not tape a breaker in place or swap in a larger one. Likewise, never open the panel's inner cover or touch the wiring behind it.

The main breaker deserves more caution than a branch breaker. If it tripped, something large is wrong or the whole house drew too much current. Turn off all the branch breakers, reset the main once, then restore the branches one at a time. If the main will not stay on, or if there was a loud bang, flooding, a fire, or storm damage near the meter, leave it alone and call an electrician. If the meter or service mast has been pulled loose, stay away and call the utility as well.

When should I contact the utility versus an electrician?

Call the utility when the problem sits on its side of the connection: the neighborhood is dark, a pole or transformer is damaged, a line is down, or you see arcing outside. Lincoln Electric System serves the city, and reporting an outage helps crews map the problem and set priorities. If a wire is on the ground, treat it as live, keep everyone back at least thirty feet, and call 911 as well as the utility.

Call an electrician when the trouble is on your side of the meter. That includes a damaged service mast or weatherhead, a meter base that is burned or loose, a main breaker that will not reset, a panel that is hot or buzzing, breakers that trip repeatedly, or a partial outage that leaves part of the house without power while neighbors are fine. The utility generally cannot repair the customer-owned service equipment, and it may require repairs to be completed and sometimes inspected before reconnecting.

Some situations involve both. After a storm, a tree may pull the service cable from your house, which means the utility must disconnect or restore the line while an electrician repairs the mast and wiring and arranges any required permit or inspection. If you are unsure, call the utility first to rule out a wider outage, then contact an electrician with what you have observed. Describing which rooms are dead, what you smelled or heard, and what the panel looks like speeds up the visit.

What should I check once the power comes back on?

Restoration is not always the end of the problem. Wait a few minutes before turning everything back on, then bring appliances online gradually so the system is not hit with a sudden load. Start with lights, then the refrigerator, and add heating or cooling equipment last. If lights flicker, brighten unusually, or some outlets seem weak, switch off sensitive equipment and have the service checked.

Inspect for hidden damage. Look for tripped GFCI outlets, a sour or burning smell near outlets or the panel, discolored cover plates, and any device that no longer works. Surge damage may appear later, so note any equipment that behaves oddly over the following days. If the outage followed flooding, do not use any outlet, panel, or appliance that got wet until a licensed electrician has examined it.

Finally, check food and prepare for the next event. Discard perishable items that spent more than two hours above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Consider whole-house surge protection, a properly installed transfer switch for a generator, and a small kit with flashlights, batteries, and a phone charger. Keep an electrician's number where you can find it without power, because the next outage will arrive when you least expect it.