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Home » Outage Management » GVEC Storm Center » Winter Storm Safety

Winter Storm Safety

Although much of the state is unaccustomed to snow and ice, temperatures can fall below freezing even in South Texas. Wet snow and ice snap tree branches and cause electric lines to sag.

To make our families safe and comfortable during a winter power outage:

  • Report any outages immediately - 800.223.4832.
  • Turn off electrical appliances that were operating at the time the power went off, including your heating system. Leave one light on so you’ll know when service has been restored.
  • Keep warm by closing off rooms you don’t need and use only safe sources of heat, like a wood stove. Do not burn charcoal indoors—it releases carbon monoxide, which is deadly. If you operate lanterns or fuel-fired cook stoves or heaters, make sure that you have adequate ventilation to keep harmful fumes from accumulating.
  • Practice generator safety if using one.  Never plug a generator into a wall outlet as it can “backfeed” electricity and cause harm to GVEC linemen working to restore your electricity.
  • Stay away from any downed power line. Always assume it is energized, even if it is not sparking or buzzing.
    • If a vehicle is touching a power line, the occupants should stay inside the car and call 911 from their cell phone.
    • If a power line is on the ground, DO NOT go near it.  Shuffle your feet to move away from a downed power line, making sure not to allow your feet to break contact with the ground.

Ice storms are more than a nuisance—they can be deadly!

This information is provided as a general reference only and is subject to change without notice.