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1. Why do your trucks and people keep going by but nothing is happening?

Crews may come and then leave your area before power is restored for several reasons:

• Crews may be repairing several locations, on other roads, before power can be restored on the full section serving you.
• Crews may begin work along your road but need to complete the work on other roads before lines can be energized.
• In some cases, you may see our crews in uniform driving other vehicles. They are out in the field to assess the damage so we can assign an appropriately skilled repair crew.

2. Why haven’t I seen any MGED trucks?

Our restoration efforts can involve damage reports from locations throughout 101 square miles. You may see trucks and crews we have brought in from other towns to help. Most probably, the cause of your power outage could be a distance away from you and that’s where we are. Even if you don’t see a MGED truck on your street, we will be out there working to get power restored to every customer who has been affected.

3. Why are my neighbors on and I’m not?

It’s possible for neighbors to be served by different circuits. Circuits don’t necessarily align with streets, neighborhoods, or community boundaries. There may be damage to the service line between your home and the rest of your neighborhood and even damage to your own service cable. Call us at 508-947-1371 to let us know if you are still without power.

4. What should I do about the wire laying in my driveway / street?

Consider all downed lines are energized and call MGED at 508-947-1371.

During an outage, where a downed wire is reported, a hazard responder (not a repair crew) shows up first to assess the situation. Once public safety is assured, the hazard responder moves on to the next reported location. Only then does the line crew come to fix the problem. This may take some time. If you are concerned that the wire is endangering your safety, call us at 508-947-1371.

5. When will you know how long I might be without power?

First, we need to fully assess the damage to 101 square miles of the service area. It is impossible to accurately predict restorations of specific circuits serving particular residences because of the many challenges and hazards that may be hidden within tree-damaged areas. We attempt to give updates on our efforts at least twice each day so that residents can gauge our progress. We will always communicate as much information as we possibly can on our website, in the media, and with individual calls to customers.

6. Why did my power come back on, then go off again a few minutes later?

Sometimes, after a line is repaired in one location, other damage causes the line to go out again. At other times, it may be necessary to turn off your power once more to safely repair other problems. In any case, our crews work to restore your power again as soon as safely possible. If your power comes back on, then goes off again, please let us know by calling our outage line at 508-947-1371.