Customer Newsletter, August 2008

What if Your Car or Equipment Comes in Contact with a Power Line?

If your car or farming equipment comes in contact with a power line, a state of panic may set in. Try to stay calm and follow these tips:

  • You should remain inside your vehicle. If you are in your car, you are not part of electricity's path, which always looks for the shortest way to the ground. Honk your horn to alert other vehicles passing by.
  • If someone stops to help, roll down the window and warn them not to touch the car or the power line. Ask them to phone 911 and contact Southern or the local power provider immediately.
  • Wait in your car until qualified electrical workers from SPD turn the power off and tell you it's safe to leave the car.
  • If you have to leave the car because of fire or other danger, open the door and jump away from the vehicle so no part of your body touches the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Make sure to jump with both feet together so that your feet land on the ground at the same time.
  • After you land with both feet together, hop away from the car, until you are at least 30 feet away. You may also shuffle away from the car, but as you do, take short strides, keeping both feet on the ground and in contact with one another.
  • Do not try to help someone from the vehicle. If you do, you may become a path for electricity and be injured or killed.
Other stories you'll find inside this edition:
  • Engage in Important Dialogue with Officials
    • Pressure is mounting in Congress to do something about climate change. And while political debates in Washington, DC may seem far away, the outcome will have a direct impact on Southern Power District, and on you--the customer. More>>>
  • How to Clean Up a Broken CFL
    • Many of our customers have asked questions about the mercury inside CFLs, and specifically, what safety measures should be taken when they are broken. More>>>
  • Energy Wise Tip: Heat and Cool Your Home Efficiently
    • Today's energy costs are rising, and there is something you can do about it. More>>>
  • Recipe Box: Chicken & Spinach Manicotti
    • Recipe>>>