The City's Automated Power Outage Reporting System
Rocky Mount Public Utilities has improved our Automated Interactive Voice Response System to assist customers more rapidly! Anyone calling 252-972-1278 M-F from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM will be connected to the automated interactive voice response system. You will be prompted to listen to the following options for faster service:
To report an electrical power outage
To report a gas, electrical, or water or sewer emergency, including a gas leak
To speak to customer service or inquire about your utility bill
For gas, electric, or water and sewer service calls or to report a street light out
To release an inspection
For garbage or street side pick-up
This system will allow a more efficient way to report problems or request service. This will also help identify problems and repair them in a timely manner.
If the Power Goes Out... First look outside and see if the outage has included your neighbors. If it hasn't, the problem may be within your home. check your fuse box or circuit breaker panel to see if you can locate the problem. If the neighboring houses are dark too, look to see if there are any trees or branches on the lines, or if there are downed wires, flashes of light, or any other signs of trouble. Don't touch or attempt to move any electric lines or trees or any other obstacles in contact with electric lines.
Public Interest Videos
We invite you to watch the following 14 minute video presentation What Happens When the Lights Go Out from ElectriCities of North Carolina.
Important Phone Numbers When a power outage or gas emergency occurs, call 972-1278. After a major storm, calling will take a great deal of patience because many other people are also trying to call. During emergencies, we have phone lines set up at the Operations Center to handle the Calls around the clock. It's natural to be tempted to ask how long the power will be out, but it's almost an impossible question to answer. Be assured we will get to you as soon as we can. There's no need to keep calling. However, if your power was restored but then failed again, or if you're in one of those small pockets of dark houses when the rest of the neighborhood has had its power restored, please call again. The City may not know that your house wasn't included when the rest of the circuit was put back in service.
You can Help!
When an outage occurs or lasts for an extended period of time, a heavy burden is placed on the system at the moment the power is restored. This high demand can cause an overload on the system, and you could lose power once again. To prevent this, turn everything off in your home except one light.
In addition, make sure the surface elements on your range have been turned off and that other heat-producing appliances are off as well because, if left on, they can pose a serious fire hazard after the power has been restored.
When the light you've left on glows, you'll know the power has been restored. Over the next 30-60 minutes, slowly switch your appliances back on and gradually return thermostats to their normal settings.
Leave a porch light on so that our repair crews know when your service has been restored.
Before construction, excavation or digging is done on your premises, call to have underground gas lines located and marked. If you have questions or need more information, dial 811, or visit the Call 811 website at www.call811.com.
What to Do If You Smell Gas
Call the Rocky Mount Gas Department immediately, anytime day or night at 252-972-1278
If you detect a gas leak, we want to know right away. Don't try to locate the problem
yourself. If the odor is inside your home or business, an emergency situation could exist and you should evacuate as a safety measure. Open a window and make sure you use no electrical switches. Extinguish any open flames and evacuate the area.
EMERGENCY DISINFECTION OF DRINKING WATER
In times of crisis, local health departments may urge consumers to use more caution or to follow additional measures. If local public health department information differs from this advice, the local information should prevail.
When the home water supply is interrupted by natural or other forms of disaster, you can obtain limited amounts of water by draining your hot water tank or melting ice cubes. In most cases, well water is the preferred source of drinking water. If it is not available and river or lake water must be used, avoid sources containing floating material and water with a dark color or an odor.
When emergency disinfection is necessary, examine the physical condition of the water. Disinfectants are less effective in cloudy water. Filter murky or colored water through clean cloths or allow it to settle, and draw off the clean water for disinfection. Water prepared for disinfection should be stored only in clean, tightly covered, containers, not subject to corrosion.
There are two general methods by which small quantities of water can be effectively disinfected. One method is boiling. It is the most positive method by which water can be made bacterially safe to drink. Another method is chemical treatment. If applied with care, certain chemicals will make most water free from harmful or pathogenic organisms.
METHODS OF EMERGENCY DISINFECTION
Boiling: Vigorous boiling for one minute will kill any disease-causing microorganisms present in water (at altitudes above one mile, boil for three minutes). The flat taste of boiled water can be improved by pouring it back and forth from one container to another (called aeration), by allowing it to stand for a few hours, or by adding a small pinch of salt for each quart of water boiled.
Chemical treatment: When boiling is not practical, chemical disinfection should be used. The two chemicals commonly used are chlorine and iodine. Chlorine and iodine are somewhat effective in protecting against exposure to Giardia, but may not be effective in controlling Cryptosporidium. Therefore, use iodine or chlorine only to disinfect well water (as opposed to surface water sources such as rivers, lakes, and springs), because well water is unlikely to contain these disease causing organisms. Chlorine is generally more effective than iodine in controlling Giardia, and both disinfectants work much better in warmer water.
CHLORINE METHODS
Chlorine Bleach: When boiling is not practical, chemical disinfection should be used. Common household bleach contains a chlorine compound that will disinfect water. The procedure to be followed is usually written on the label. When the necessary procedure is not given, find the percentage of available chlorine on the label and use the information in the following tabulation as a guide.
Available Chlorine Drops per Quart of Clear Water
1% 10
4-6% 2
7-10% 1
(If strength is unknown, add ten drops per quart of water. Double amount of chlorine for cloudy or colored water or water that is extremely cold.)
The treated water should be mixed thoroughly and allowed to stand, preferably covered, for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight chlorine odor; if not, repeat the dosage and allow the water to stand for an additional 15 minutes. If the treated water has too strong a chlorine taste, it can be made more pleasing by allowing the water to stand exposed to the air for a few hours or by pouring it from one clean container to another several times.
Granular Calcium Hypochlorite: Add and dissolve one heaping teaspoon of high-test granular calcium hypochlorite (approximately 1/4 ounce) for each two gallons of water. The mixture will produce a stock chlorine solution of approximately 500 mg/L, since the calcium hypochlorite has an available chlorine equal to 70 percent of its weight. To disinfect water, add the chlorine solution in the ratio of one part of chlorine solution to each 100 parts of water to be treated. This is roughly equal to adding 1 pint (16 oz.) of stock chlorine to each 12.5 gallons of water to be disinfected. To remove any objectionable chlorine odor, aerate the water as described above.
Chlorine Tablets: Chlorine tablets containing the necessary dosage for drinking water disinfection can be purchased in a commercially prepared form. These tablets are available from drug and sporting goods stores and should be used as stated in the instructions. When instructions are not available, use one tablet for each quart of water to be purified.
TINCTURE OF IODINE
Common household iodine from the medicine chest or first aid kit may be used to disinfect water. Add five drops of 2 percent United States Pharmacopeia (U.S.P.) Tincture of iodine to each quart of clear water. For cloudy water add ten drops and let the solution stand for at least 30 minutes.
IODINE TABLETS
Commercially prepared iodine tablets containing the necessary dosage for drinking water disinfection can be purchased at drug and sporting goods stores. They should be used as stated. When instructions are not available, use one tablet for each quart of water to be purified.
WATER TO BE USED FOR DRINKING, COOKING, MAKING ANY PREPARED DRINK, OR BRUSHING THE TEETH SHOULD BE PROPERLY DISINFECTED.
Office of Water 4606-M www.epa.gov/safewater EPA 816-F-05-023 September 2005
First look outside and see if the outage has included your neighbors. If it hasn't, the problem may be within your home. check your fuse box or circuit breaker panel to see if you can locate the problem. If the neighboring houses are dark too, look to see if there are any trees or branches on the lines, or if there are downed wires, flashes of light, or any other signs of trouble. Don't touch or attempt to move any electric lines or trees or any other obstacles in contact with electric lines.
When a power outage or gas emergency occurs, call 
