Downed Power Lines and Your Property: Stay Away Safely

After a storm, the street can look like a different place. Branches cover the road, fences are down, and sometimes a heavy cable lies across the grass or curls across the driveway. A downed power line is among the most dangerous things a homeowner can see, and it does not always look dangerous. It may be silent, it may not spark, and it may look like any other wire.

This guide is meant to be read before you need it. It explains how to recognize the hazard, what to do and what not to do, who to call, and how to handle the part that belongs to you once the immediate danger passes. Everything here comes down to one rule: stay away, keep others away and let the right people handle it.

Why a downed line is so dangerous

Power lines carry large amounts of electricity at high voltage. When a line falls, it does not necessarily lose power. It can remain energized, and it can energize anything it touches, including the ground around it, a fence, a puddle, a tree or a vehicle.

The ground around a live wire can carry current outward from the point of contact. A person standing near a downed line, even without touching it, can receive a shock through the earth, and the effect is stronger when the ground is wet. This is why you may hear the advice to shuffle away with feet together if you ever find yourself near one. Better, of course, is never to be near one at all.

A line does not have to be sparking or humming to be live. It may lie perfectly still. Some are completely silent. Do not use movement or noise as a guide to whether a line is safe, because those signs are unreliable.

• Treat every downed line as energized until the utility tells you otherwise.
• Treat anything touching a downed line as energized too, including trees, fences, cars and water.
• Do not assume a line is dead because the power in your house is out.

How electricity spreads through the ground

It helps to picture what happens when a live wire touches the earth. Current leaves the wire at the contact point and spreads outward through the soil in all directions, losing strength with distance. Between two points on the ground at different distances from the contact, there is a difference in voltage. If your two feet are standing at two such points, current can pass up one leg and down the other.

The size of this effect depends on the soil, the moisture and the amount of current. Wet grass, damp sand and puddles make it worse. Large animals with feet spread apart are especially exposed, which is why livestock sometimes suffer when a line falls in a field. People are at risk whenever they step toward the line to look closely.

This is the reason that distance is the only truly reliable protection. No rubber boots, no dry stick and no sprint will make it safe to approach.

What to do the moment you see one

When you spot a line on the ground, on a vehicle, tangled in a tree or hanging low, the steps are simple. They are also the same for everyone in your household, including children.

• Stay back. Keep far away from the line and anything it might be touching. A generous distance is better than a close one. Avoid walking toward it to get a better look.
• Warn others. Tell family members, neighbors and passers-by to stay away. Keep children and pets indoors or well back.
• Call for help. Report the line to your electric utility and to emergency services so the area can be made safe. Give a clear location, such as the nearest address or cross street.
• Do not touch or move it. Never use a stick, a broom, a shovel or anything else to move a line. Even objects that seem to insulate can conduct electricity, particularly when wet.
• Do not drive over it. A line across a road can snag a vehicle, drag a pole or energize the car.

Once you have called, keep watch from a safe place so you can tell responders if conditions change, for example if the line moves or sparks. Do not stay out in the weather if conditions are still unsafe.

If a line falls on a car or you are inside a vehicle

If you are in a car when a line comes down on it, the safest advice in most cases is to stay inside, warn others to stay away, and call for help. The vehicle is typically a safer place than the ground around it, and help will be on the way.

Only if the car is on fire or there is another immediate danger is it appropriate to leave. In that case, the guidance is to jump clear without touching the car and the ground at the same moment, land with your feet together, and then shuffle away in small steps, keeping your feet in contact with each other and the ground. This is a last resort, for an emergency, and not a plan to be followed whenever convenient.

If you come upon a crash or a car with a line on it, do not approach to help. Stay back and call emergency services. Well-meaning rescuers are sometimes injured because they step near an energized vehicle.

The same caution applies to a line touching a fence, a pool, a boat on a lift or a metal roof. Any conductive object connected to a live line can become a hazard far from the original contact point.

If you are outdoors when you notice it

Sometimes you discover the hazard on foot, perhaps while walking a dog or checking the yard after a storm. If you feel a tingling in your legs or feet as you walk, treat it as a sign that you are in an energized area. Stop, keep your feet together, and take very small shuffling steps backward, away from the suspected source, without lifting your feet off the ground. Once clear, call for help.

Never run, and never take long strides, because that raises the voltage difference between your feet. Do not turn to look for the line while you are in the area. Move away first.

What about lines that are down but not on the ground

Not every hazardous line is lying on the lawn. Some hang low across a yard, droop over a road, or tangle in tree branches overhead. Others are partly pulled from a pole. A line draped over a tree can electrify the tree and the ground beneath it.

Keep clear of trees that have fallen on or near lines. Do not try to cut or move a tree that has contact with wires, and do not allow anyone, including a neighbor with a chainsaw, to do so. Tree work near lines is the job of utility crews and trained professionals.

Sagging cable and phone lines also deserve caution. A telephone or cable wire may look harmless, yet it can be touching or tangled with a power line. Treat any low-hanging wire as potentially dangerous until it has been checked.

Poles that lean or have broken tops are part of the hazard. Stay clear of the area below them, and report them as well.

Generators raise another concern here. If anyone in the neighborhood connects a generator to a house improperly, power can flow backward and make a line that looks dead, live. Another reason to treat every wire as dangerous is the chance that something unseen is feeding it. We explain that hazard in our article on backfeeding, and it is a reason utility crews never trust a line until they have tested and grounded it themselves.

Who to call and what to say

The two most important calls are to your electric utility and to emergency services. The utility has crews and equipment to de-energize and repair its lines, and emergency responders can secure the area and respond to any injuries or fires. If anyone has been hurt, or if the situation is life-threatening, call emergency services first.

When you call, give the exact location: the street address nearest the line, or the nearest intersection. Describe what you see, such as a line on the ground, a line across a road, or one touching a fence. Mention whether you see sparks, smoke, fire or a car involved. Say whether people are nearby, and stay on the line if the dispatcher asks you to.

• Do not wait for the neighbors to report it. Multiple reports are fine, and it is better to have the utility hear twice than not at all.
• Write down the report number if you are given one.
• Be prepared for wait times after a major storm, and keep the area clear while you wait.

It is not a call for an electrician. A private electrician cannot work on utility lines, and neither can the homeowner. The electrician comes in later, for the equipment on your property.

Where the utility's responsibility ends and yours begins

This is a useful distinction, and many homeowners are surprised by it. In a typical overhead service, the utility owns and maintains the lines on the poles, the transformer, and the wires that run from the pole to your house, called the service drop. The point where those wires attach to your building and the equipment from there inward belongs to you.

That customer-owned equipment commonly includes the service mast or conduit that rises from the meter, the weatherhead at the top where the wires enter, the meter socket, the main disconnect and the panel. A fallen tree or a heavy storm can bend or tear a mast, rip the weatherhead away, crack the meter socket or damage the panel.

When that happens, the utility may need to disconnect power before any repair, and an electrician must repair the customer's equipment before power is restored. Depending on local rules, an inspection may be required before reconnection. Your building department and the utility can explain the steps that apply to you.

Our storm damage electrical repair page describes the sort of work that follows, which covers replacing damaged service equipment.

Signs of damage to your own service

You can spot many signs of service damage from a safe distance, without touching anything. After a storm, look at the point where the wires reach your house, from the ground and from far enough away that a falling wire would not reach you.

• A service mast or conduit that is bent, leaning or pulled away from the wall.
• Wires that are pulled tight, sagging low or hanging loose near the house.
• A meter that is cracked, tilted or pulled from the wall, or a meter box with a broken cover.
• Scorch marks, melted plastic or burn smells around the meter, the panel or the wall behind them.
• A tree or large branch resting on the lines or the mast.

If you see any of these, stay away, keep others away, and report it to the utility. Do not try to straighten a bent mast or reattach a wire. After the utility has made the situation safe, an electrician can assess and repair the equipment.

Interior signs matter too. Outlets that do not work, lights that behave strangely, a panel that crackles, or the smell of hot insulation after a storm may be connected to the same event. Our article on burning smell at an outlet and the urgent steps to take gives guidance on those situations.

Commercial properties and shared lots

Businesses, apartment complexes and shopping centers face the same hazard on a larger scale. Parking lots have light poles and underground and overhead feeds, and a storm can bring down lighting, signs and service lines at once. Property managers should establish a plan: close off the area around any fallen line, keep customers and staff away, post someone to warn arrivals, and report the hazard promptly.

Light poles can be damaged at the base, and a pole that tilts or has exposed wiring is just as risky as a fallen overhead line. If a pole or fixture is down in your lot, do not let anyone approach it. After the immediate danger has passed, our parking lot lighting team can assess the damage to fixtures, poles and circuits.

Water, wind and the hazards that travel with lines

Downed lines rarely appear in good weather. They arrive with rain, wind, flooding and fallen trees, and each of these makes the hazard more complicated. Water conducts electricity and spreads it. A downed line in or near standing water can energize the entire area, including driveways and yards. Never wade or drive through water where a line may be.

Wind can move a line after it has fallen. A wire that seems to be resting may swing or slide as gusts continue, so the danger zone can shift. Debris can hide a line from view, such as a wire lying under leaves or branches in a yard.

Pools, canals and docks present extra concerns. A line that falls into or near water may energize it, which is a serious danger for anyone in or near the water. Keep everyone out of the pool and away from the water's edge if a line is nearby.

For a broader look at storm electrical hazards, the hurricane and storm electrical prep guide and our emergency electrical first steps for Broward page cover many related situations.

Safety around neighbors, children and pets

Children are curious, and a downed line can look like a toy or a snake. Make sure every child in the house knows the rule in plain words: if you see a wire on the ground, do not go near it, do not touch it, and tell an adult right away. This is a conversation worth having before the storm season starts.

Pets can wander into danger too. Keep dogs on a leash when walking after a storm and avoid areas with debris and tangled wires. A pet that touches an energized object can be hurt and so can the person who tries to rescue it, so do not go after an animal that is near a line.

Watch for well-meaning neighbors, too. After storms people often gather to help clear debris. Remind them to stay clear of anything near a wire, and not to cut or move trees that touch lines.

If your block has several hazards, one calm person making the calls and organizing the neighbors can help a great deal. The goal is to keep people back until the right crews arrive.

Preparing before the next storm

You cannot prevent lines from coming down, but you can reduce your exposure. Have trees trimmed by a professional well before storm season, especially trees growing near the service wires to your house. Do not attempt this near wires yourself, since trimming near lines is hazardous.

Know where your main breaker and meter are, and keep the area around them clear. Talk with the family about the downed line rule, and keep the numbers for your utility and for an electrician where everyone can find them. A written list on the refrigerator or a saved contact is enough.

Check that your service mast, weatherhead and meter socket are in good condition, tight against the house and without rust or cracks. If anything looks worn, have it assessed ahead of time. The Broward hurricane season electrical checklist gives a fuller list.

What happens after the line is made safe

Once the utility has dealt with the line, you can begin to assess your property. Check for damage before you restore anything. If the service equipment was affected, an electrician will need to repair it, and the utility may require an inspection before it reconnects.

It helps to take photographs of any damage and to keep records of the report numbers and the people you spoke with. This information is useful when you contact your insurer, and it provides a timeline if questions arise.

Do not assume that the restoration of power means everything is fine. Damaged equipment can pass power but still be unsafe. If you notice flickering, buzzing, hot spots or odd smells once the lights return, treat that as a sign to stop and call for an inspection. Our emergency electrical repairs page describes how those calls are handled.

Common questions

Is a downed power line always live?

Treat every downed line as energized. A line can remain live even when it is silent, still and not sparking, and even when your own power is out.

Who should I call if I see a downed line?

Call your electric utility and emergency services, and give a clear location. Do not call an electrician for a line in the street, because only the utility can make its own lines safe.

What should I do if a line falls on my car?

In most cases stay inside the vehicle, warn others to stay away, and call for help. Only leave if the car is on fire or another immediate danger forces you out.

Can I move a downed line with a wooden stick or broom?

No. Objects that seem to insulate can conduct electricity, especially when wet. Never touch or move a line. Leave it to the utility.

Who repairs the wires that attach to my house after a storm?

The utility handles its own lines, but the mast, weatherhead, meter socket and panel on your property are generally the owner's responsibility. A qualified electrician repairs them, and an inspection may be needed before power is restored.

If a storm has damaged the electrical equipment on your property, call (954) 602-0050 once the utility has made the lines safe. Standard jobs are quoted by phone before dispatch. Complex jobs are quoted on site and carry a service call charge, and the electrician comes to you. Urgent problems can use our 24-Hour Emergency Line.