Downed power lines
If you see a damaged or fallen power line, stay at least 10 m away and call 911 or your local emergency services immediately.
- Treat all downed lines as if they were energized. Stay away from them and anything that they touch, including puddles of water, flooded structures and fences.
- High winds can bring down power lines. Keep children inside and pets on a leash to prevent accidental contact.
- Avoid our crews when they are working on power lines.
- Stay clear or low or sagging power lines.
- If not an emergency, report the outage online.
- Never try to move a downed power line with any object, even with non-conductive material.
- Do not try to repair damaged power lines or remove tree limbs from power lines; our qualified crew members will do this.
What to do around a fallen power line
Watch to learn what can cause a fallen power line, how to be safe around them and what to do if your vehicle comes into contact with one.
Video: 1:51
Vehicle contact with downed power line
If power lines contact a vehicle, call 911 or your local emergency services immediately.
What you can do:
- Stay in the vehicle and wait for help to arrive.
- Warn others to stay at least 10 m away from the power lines and vehicle.
- Assume all downed power lines are live and do not drive over them.
If your vehicle catches fire:
- Keep your feet together and hold your arms tightly. Do not step out of the vehicle one foot at a time, as that can create a path for electricity and cause severe injuries or death.
- Jump clear without touching the vehicle and the ground at the same time and land with both feet together.
- Shuffle or hop away while keeping your feet together.
- Move at least 10 m away from the downed lines.
Fallen tree branches
If you see a tree of branch that has fallen on a power line, stay at least 10 m away and call 911 or your local emergency services immediately.
- Don't go near the tree or anything the line may be touching. A tree touching a power line can be energized.
- Do not remove tree limbs on power lines as they may still be energized.
If you have questions about tree trimming on your property, call us at 1-888-624-9376 (1-888-MBHYDRO).
After a flood
Spring run-off flooding may develop slowly, but heavy rain can cause flash floods in lowland areas and basements. We disconnect electrical services in flooded areas. If an electrical or natural gas emergency occurs, flood-related or otherwise, call 911 or your local emergency services immediately.
- Call us any time at 1-888-624-9376 (1-888-MBHYDRO) to disconnect the power.
- Don't attempt to turn off the power yourself.
- Don't enter any flooded buildings that may not have had the power disconnected.
A licensed electrician should replace and test all wiring, outlets, baseboard heaters and other electrical hardware that was in contact with floodwater before your power is restored.
A licensed heating contractor should inspect any natural gas appliances that were in contact with floodwater to see if they must be replaced.