Click here:  National Weather Service

Reporting an outage   

Outages cannot be reported through email. There is no email for monitoring outages. We apologize for any inconvenience.

To report an outage after hours, please call 1-877-881-7673 to reach our after hours call center. To report an outage during the normal business hours of 7:00 am - 4:30 pm, please call the office at (218)-694-6241 or Toll Free (888)-694-3833

When it comes to electricity inside and outside of your home, safety should always be your number one priority. It's important to know how to be safe during an outage and prepared for a potential outage.

At Clearwater-Polk Electric Cooperative (CPEC), we are committed to working safely and effectively to protect members and employees. We strive to bring you the power of safety through education and community out reach. 

Short-Term Power Outages

  • Don’t panic.
  • Check to see if your neighbors still have electricity.
  • If your neighbors have electricity, the problem could be inside your home. Check your main fuses or circuit breakers to see if they have blown or tripped.
  • If your neighbors do not have electricity, call your electric supplier. A repair person will be dispatched as quickly as possible. Your supplier should also be able to tell you if it will be an extended outage.
  • Unplug appliances with electronic components, such as microwaves, televisions, and DVD players. This will help eliminate damage to your appliances from voltage surges when the electricity is restored.
  • Wait a few minutes before turning on these appliances when the electricity is restored. This will reduce demand on the power supplier’s electrical system.
  • If you use a standby generator, be sure it has been installed and wired properly. If improperly installed, a generator could cause dangerous conditions for utility employees working to restore power.
  • Check the basement periodically for flooding. You can use a portable, gasoline-powered pump to pump out a basement or crawl space when the power is interrupted to an electric sump pump. Never wade into a flooded basement unless electricity supplying sump pumps, freezers, etc. has been disconnected.

Keep Your Food Safe

The electricity just went out and your refrigerator is packed with food. The following tips are provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and will help ensure your food is safe during and after a power outage.

  • Never taste the food to determine its safety.
  • Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed to maintain a cold temperature (a full refrigerator will keep food cold for four hours and a full freezer will hold a safe temperature for 48 hours).
  • Obtain dry ice to keep your refrigerator and freezer cold if power is expected to be out for a long time.
  • Check the temperature of your freezer with an appliance thermometer if the power has been out for a few days (food should be at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below).
  • Discard refrigerated perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, cheeses, milk, eggs, leftovers and deli items after four hours without power.

     

Long Term Power Outage

  • Unplug everything in your home. Turn off breakers or remove fuses. Leave one lighting circuit on so you know when the electricity comes back on.
  • Winterize your water supply system completely. Be sure to disconnect the electrical supply to the water heater before draining.
  • The drainage system in the home also needs to be winterized. This is done by pouring antifreeze into the traps in the drains below sinks, toilets, washing machines, etc.
  • Empty all food from freezers and refrigerators, and leave doors open.
  • If your home is equipped with an electric heat pump, special care is needed when turning the unit on after an extended outage. It takes a period of time (check with dealer) for the lubricant in the refrigerant to warm up.
  • Keep curtains closed except on south facing windows in the winter when the sun is shining.