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September is National Preparedness Month: Steps to build an outage kit and stay informed

PORTLAND, Ore. — To recognize National Preparedness Month, Pacific Power and Portland General Electric are encouraging their customers to be prepared year-round for power outages. While ongoing updates to the power grid and electrical equipment continue to enhance reliability, outages may still occur. Pacific Power and PGE are raising awareness about resources that are available to customers that can help make a power outage easier to manage.  

Basic emergency supplies

Customers should prepare essentials including:

  • A two-week supply of shelf-stable food and water for their household and pets, including livestock.
  • Necessary medications and a backup plan for medical devices that need electricity to operate.
  • An emergency kit with flashlights, batteries, solar phone chargers, first aid and essential phone numbers.
  • Plans for relocating with a friend, family member or shelter, especially for people with a medical condition that requires electricity, or those needing to work or learn from home during an outage.

Keeping informed

Customers should log onto their accounts and make sure their electricity provider has current contact information so they can reach customers if necessary. In the event of an outage:

  • Pacific Power customers can text OUT to 722797, report an outage online or call 877-508-5088 to report an outage or check status, or use the Pacific Power mobile app. 
  • PGE customers can report an outage and get updates by logging onto PGE’s mobile app or online account, or by calling 800-544-1795. 

Additional resources

Pacific Power has also posted resources and information including an outage preparation checklist for residential and business customers and an interactive map outlining potential public safety power shutoff areas on pacificpower.net/prepare.  

PGE has posted more resources and information for residential and business customers on Portlandgeneral.com. An interactive map outlining potential public safety power shutoff areas is available on portlandgeneral.com/wildfireoutages.