Hurricane help for your power, utilities and home

Hurricanes can bring long power outages, flooding and damage to the lines and equipment that serve your home. Planning ahead for your utilities, knowing the electrical hazards after a storm and knowing where official help comes from can make a hard situation more manageable. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or local emergency services, and always follow official evacuation and emergency instructions.

Wattie is not an emergency service

Wattie does not provide live storm tracking, forecasts, evacuation orders or outage maps, and it does not replace NOAA, the National Weather Service, FEMA, your utility or local emergency authorities. For storm warnings, rely on the National Weather Service and your local officials. For outage and restoration information, rely on your utility.

Preparing your utilities before a hurricane

Save your utility's outage-reporting number, website and app, and sign up for its outage alerts if offered.
Know how to shut off electricity at your main breaker, and learn where your gas and water shutoffs are. Follow your utility's guidance on when, or whether, to shut off gas — once off, only the utility or a qualified professional should turn it back on.
Charge phones, power banks and battery-powered radios, and keep flashlights and spare batteries ready.
Photograph your meter, electrical panel and major appliances — helpful later for insurance or assistance records.
Keep copies of recent utility bills and account numbers with your important documents.

Extended outages: food, medicine and medical devices

Hurricane outages can last days or longer. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. FoodSafety.gov advises that a closed refrigerator generally keeps food safe for about four hours and a full freezer for about 48 hours (24 hours if half full). When in doubt, throw it out.

If someone in your home relies on electricity for a medical device or refrigerated medication, plan ahead: talk with your medical provider and device supplier about backup power, ask your utility whether it offers a medical or critical-care customer program, and know where you could go if power is out for a long time.

Backup power and generator safety

Never run a portable generator indoors, in a garage, or near windows, doors or vents — carbon monoxide can be deadly. Use a working CO alarm.
Never plug a generator into a wall outlet. Backfeeding can endanger utility workers and neighbors; a permanent connection needs a properly installed transfer switch.
Home batteries, with or without solar, may provide backup power where the system is designed and configured for it. Many solar systems shut off during an outage unless paired with equipment built for backup. Check with your installer or system documentation.

Flooding and electrical hazards

Stay out of floodwater — it can be electrically charged by downed lines or submerged wiring.
Never touch electrical equipment while standing in water or if it has been underwater.
If water reached outlets, panels or appliances, have a licensed electrician inspect them before power is restored.
Stay away from downed power lines and report them to your utility or 911. Assume every downed line is live.

Returning home and getting power restored

Return only when officials say it is safe. If you smell gas, leave immediately and call your gas utility or 911 from a safe distance. Check for visible damage to your meter, service lines and the mast on your roof — some damage on your side of the meter may need a licensed electrician and, in some areas, an inspection before the utility can reconnect service.

Restoration times are set by your utility and can change as crews assess damage. Use your utility's official outage map, app or phone line for the latest estimates.

Disaster assistance and official resources

Programs, incentives, utilities and resources vary by state, utility, location, household and current conditions. Eligibility is always decided by the official program or provider.

FEMA and DisasterAssistance.gov — federal disaster assistance when a disaster declaration covers your area.
Ready.gov — official hurricane preparation guidance.
American Red Cross — shelters, emergency supplies and recovery support.
State and local emergency management — evacuation orders, shelters and local recovery programs.
Your utility — outage reporting, restoration updates, and any payment or bill-relief options it offers after a disaster.

How Wattie can help

Explain the parts of a utility bill or notice you receive after a storm, in plain language.
Help you organize outage dates, damage photos, expenses and assistance references in one place.
Point you to official resources to check — FEMA, DisasterAssistance.gov, the Red Cross, your utility and local agencies.
Help you think through next steps and questions to ask, by text or voice where available.

Wattie provides general information and organization help. Always verify programs, rates and deadlines with official sources.

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