Customers with Special Needs

If someone in your home has a disability, uses life support equipment, or has other special needs, it is very important that you plan ahead to prepare for storms, outages, or other emergencies.

A booklet from the American Red Cross, Disaster Preparedness for People with Special Needs and Persons Age 65 and Older (PDF), will walk you through the steps of creating a Personal Support Network and an Emergency Plan to help you stay safe and comfortable during emergencies.

For local information about emergency response, please contact Columbia County Public Health at (503) 397-7247 or health@columbiacountyor.gov.

In a true emergency, always call 9-1-1.

When an Outage Occurs

Call (503) 397-1844 to report your outage. We rely on customer calls to identify the extent and location of power outages.

Activate your Personal Support Network and your Emergency Plan. These steps will keep you safe and comfortable until power is restored. Refer back to this Red Cross Disaster Preparedness guide if you have questions about implementing your Emergency Plan.

We cannot estimate how long an outage will last. Every outage is unique, and it’s not always possible to estimate the extent of the damage or how long repairs will take. During outages our line crews will work to safely restore power to all customers as quickly as possible.

Operate Standby Generators Safely

If you connect a standby generator to your home’s electrical system, always use a transfer switch. A GenerLink transfer switch automatically disconnects your home from the power grid and connects it to your generator.

We offer GenerLink transfer switches for $11 per month. Contact our Energy Experts at (503) 397-8155 or by email for details.

For More Information

American Red Cross
www.redcross.org

Columbia River People’s Utility District
(503) 397-1844