HOUSTON – Electricity and water do not mix, and unfortunately, southeast Texas is dealing with a lot of that potentially deadly combination since Hurricane Harvey struck, causing devastating flooding through thousands of homes and businesses.
So what do you need to know about going into your flooded home or business when it comes to electricity?
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Schneider Electric shared this guide with KPRC for checking out your home after Houston’s floods.
To ensure personal safety, avoid costly damage to physical equipment and minimize financial losses, residents should follow several precautions:
- First, do not enter a home or building where there is standing water inside until you are sure the main power is off.
- If you see evidence of flooding and you’re not sure if the main power has been turned off, do not attempt to turn it off; instead, contact an electrician or your electric utility.
- Once you’ve done that, locate the main panel to see if any circuit breakers or fuses have tripped if there is no electricity upon return. And if there are any signs of smoke, fire or water damage near electrical outlets, immediately unplug all items in the area and contact an electrician or your electric utility.
- It’s difficult to be patient, but resist the urge to clean your electrical equipment. Attempting to reuse damaged electrical equipment by air drying, rinsing, cleaning, washing down or pressure washing creates a significant safety hazard, so while you are cleaning up other areas of the house, contact a professional to focus on your electrical equipment.
- In general, most electrical equipment exposed to floodwater will require replacement. Once you know which equipment needs to be replaced and which needs to be repaired, you can then begin to address those issues appropriately.
- In all cases, if there is any doubt about the damage that has been done to a structure and its electrical systems by flooding, contact a local, licensed electrical contractor to evaluate its safety and protect life and property.