Portland General Electric : PGE encourages customers to prepare now for possible winter outages

Portland, Ore. - As the official start of winter draws nearer, Portland General Electric wants customers to know it is ready to respond to power outages, and encourages customers to be prepared, too. Learn more at portlandgeneral.com/prepare.

• Prepare an outage kit that includes:

  • Flashlight or headlamps.

  • Battery-powered or hand crank radio and alarm clock or watch.

  • Car charger for your cell phone, laptops and/or tablets.

  • 72-hour supply of ready-to-eat food and water.

  • Extra blankets.

  • Bottles water for people and animals (if you rely on electricity to pump water).

• Follow us on Twitter @PortlandGeneral and Facebook @PortlandGeneralElectric for preparedness and safety tips.

• If you have an electric garage door opener, learn how to operate it manually.

• Protect home electronics by investing in surge protection equipment. See options at portlandgeneral.com/surge.

• Be familiar with safe cooking, heating, and lighting practices. Information on safe generator use and other safety tips are available on portlandgeneral.com/safety.

For customers whose power is out, PGE offers several ways to get updates or report an outage:

• Text updates: Please make sure PGE has your contact information up to date so we can update you with outage information via text message (outage texts are currently available for residential and small business customers with fewer than six accounts).

• Online: Go to portlandgeneral.com/outage to view PGE's newly improved outage map.

• App: Download the PGE app at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Links also available at portlandgeneral.com/app.

• Phone: Call 503-464-7777 or 800-544-1795 to report a power outage or downed line through our automated system. Customers can also request a call back when power is restored.

People should always assume that any downed line is live and extremely dangerous and should stay far back. Never touch a downed wire with your body or any object. Report any downed line immediately to PGE by calling 503-464-7777 or 800-544-1795.