PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland General Electric plans and prepares year-round for inclement and extreme weather conditions. We work continuously to operate the grid safely and reliably including proactive measures such as regular maintenance, system improvements to bolster resilience to bad weather and extreme conditions, preventive tree trimming, advanced weather forecasting and situational awareness systems like our AI-enabled camera network.
However, power outages can happen for reasons like traffic accidents and storms. As winter settles in, it brings with it the potential for weather-related outages caused by strong wind, accumulating snow and ice. PGE is prepared and encourages customers to be prepared, too.
PGE shares a few simple ways to be ready ahead of any storm.
- Stay away from downed power lines.
- Never touch a downed power line. If you see a power line on the ground, treat it as if it’s energized and stay at least 50 feet away, that’s a little longer than a city bus.
- Lines don’t have to spark or sizzle to carry electricity, so it’s safe to always assume downed lines are electrified and extremely dangerous.
- If you see downed power lines, please report it to PGE immediately at 503-464-7777 or 800-544-1795. Then call 9-1-1.
- 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, laptop or tablet.
- 72-hour supply of ready-to-eat food and water.
- Any required medications.
- Extra blankets.
- Bottled water for people and animals.
- Be familiar with safe cooking, heating, and lighting practices. Information on safe generator use and other safety tips are available on portlandgeneral.com/safety.
- If you have an electric garage door opener, learn how to operate it manually.
- For more winter-ready tips, visit portlandgeneral.com/beprepared.
What to do if your power goes out. 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 provide 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 outage map, which is the best place to go for real-time outage information.
- 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.
About Portland General Electric Company
Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is an integrated energy company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to over 930,000 customers serving an area of 1.9 million Oregonians. For more than 130 years, Portland General Electric (PGE) has powered social progress delivering safe, affordable, reliable and increasingly clean electricity while working to transform energy systems to meet evolving customer needs. PGE has the largest voluntary renewable energy program in the country and was ranked the No. 1 utility in the 2024 Forrester U.S. Customer Experience Index. PGE is committed to reducing emissions from its retail power supply by 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2040. PGE is recognized by the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for the company’s commitment to creating a more equal, inclusive workplace. In 2023, PGE employees, retirees and the PGE Foundation donated nearly $4.6 million and volunteered over 23,000 volunteer hours to more than 400 nonprofit organizations. For more information: portlandgeneral.com/news
