What should I do if there is a power or other utility outage?

Electricity and water utilities are essential to the operation of all campus facilities, and any disruption will require attention from the Physical Plant. Prolonged outages in part or all of the campus will negatively affect students and personnel and may result in an emergency situation where classes and operations may be suspended. Outages or interruptions of gas and telecommunications services are not serious and can often be rectified in a short period of time.

There are no warnings for unplanned utility outages and outages usually occur as the result of other disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and fires.

ELECTRICAL OUTAGE

• Report all electrical outages to the Physical Plant. In the case of a complete power outage, the ERT will determine if the ERP should be activated.
• Disconnect all equipment that could be damaged by a power surge before electricity is restored. Turn off lights, appliances, air conditioners, and other devices to reduce the power requirements for restoration. Facilities will take action to turn off large electrical equipment at all the facilities on the campus.
• Evacuate the building or facility if safety is an issue.
• Should the power outage affect large sections of the campus or the entire campus and is expected to be of long duration, campus, classes and operations, except for essential workers, may be suspended.

WATER OUTAGE

• Report all water outages or pipe breaks to the Physical Plant. Facilities will send their maintenance personnel to investigate the problem and will fix any problem within their capability. Facilities will report major line breaks to the City and coordinate repairs with them.
• Turn off all water faucets. Conserve remaining water resources until restored.

GAS/LPS OUTAGE

• Close all outlets, and shut off flames or heat-producing equipment and devices, if a leak may have occurred.
• If the smell of gas is strong, immediately notify all persons in the area and vicinity to evacuate. Always evacuate any area where air exchange is poor if any kind of leak in your building is detected or announced.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS OUTAGE

• Should both telephone and computers go down, contact the Office of Information Technology in person.