In an electrical emergency, protect people first: if there’s smoke, fire or a downed power line, get everyone away and call 911. For everything else, the only safe steps are simple ones, like unplugging a device, resetting a tripped breaker once or resetting a GFCI outlet. If the problem comes back, or you smell burning, see sparks or feel heat, stop and call a licensed electrician.
Safety note: Call 911 first for fire, smoke, a person who has been shocked, or a downed power line. Never touch someone who is still in contact with a live electrical source. Stay out of standing water anywhere electricity could reach it.
Is it an emergency? When to call 911, the utility or an electrician
Knowing who to call saves time when it counts.
- Call 911 for fire, smoke, heavy sparking, anyone who has been shocked, or a downed power line.
- Call your utility for neighborhood outages, a downed line (after 911), damage to the meter or the service line to your building, and power that’s half on or surging.
- Call a licensed electrician for problems on your side of the meter: burning smells, hot or buzzing panels, breakers that won’t reset, dead circuits, sparking outlets and water or storm damage to wiring.
Some situations need more than one call. After a storm tears the service line off your house, for example, the utility handles its side and an electrician repairs the damaged mast, meter base or wiring on your side before power can be restored.
What to do when the power goes out
First, figure out whether the outage is just you or the whole area.
- Look outside. If your neighbors are dark too, it’s likely a utility outage. Report it to your utility and check for updates.
- If it’s just your home or business, check your panel for a tripped main or branch breaker, as long as the panel isn’t hot, wet or damaged and you’re on a dry floor.
- If nothing is tripped, the problem may be at the meter or the service line. Call your utility, then a licensed electrician if the utility says the problem is on your side.
- Unplug sensitive electronics like computers and TVs so they aren’t hit by a surge when power returns. Leave one light switched on so you know when it’s back.
Watch for partial power. If some lights are dim, others are unusually bright, or half the house works and half doesn’t, don’t wait it out. That can point to a problem with the service wires or a loose neutral connection, which can damage appliances and create a fire risk. Unplug electronics and call your utility and a licensed electrician.
Texas outages come with their own risks. Losing AC during a South Texas summer can quickly become dangerous for older adults, infants and anyone with health conditions, and freeze outages have shown how fast a Texas home can lose heat. If someone in your home depends on powered medical equipment, have a plan before the next outage.
A breaker tripped. Is it safe to reset?
Usually, once. A tripped breaker sits in the middle or off position. To reset it:
- Make sure the panel isn’t hot, buzzing, wet or damaged, and that you’re standing on a dry surface.
- Unplug or switch off what was running on that circuit.
- Push the breaker firmly to off, then back to on.
If it trips again right away, or trips every time you plug something back in, leave it off. Don’t hold it on, tape it or swap in a bigger breaker. A breaker that won’t hold is protecting you from an overload, a short circuit or a ground fault, and tracking down the cause is what our electrical troubleshooting service is for.
Breakers that trip often, even when you reset them successfully, can also be a sign your panel is overloaded. Learn the signs your electrical panel needs an upgrade.
What about GFCI outlets that won’t work?
If outlets in a bathroom, kitchen, garage or outdoors go dead, look for a tripped GFCI outlet. One GFCI can protect several outlets downstream, sometimes in another room. Press RESET firmly. If it won’t reset, or trips again as soon as you plug something in, unplug everything on it and try once more. If it still trips, leave it alone and call an electrician. Outdoor GFCIs that trip after rain often point to water in an outlet box or fixture.
Burning smells, sparks and hot outlets
These are the warning signs to take most seriously, because they often mean something is overheating.
- Smoke or flames: get everyone out and call 911. Don’t try to fight an electrical fire with water.
- A burning or fishy smell with no smoke: stop using the outlet or appliance and unplug it if the plug and cover are cool and undamaged. Then call an electrician right away.
- Sparks from an outlet or switch: a small spark when you unplug something can be normal. Repeated sparking, crackling or scorch marks aren’t. Stop using it and call an electrician.
- Outlets, switches or cover plates that feel hot: stop using them. Unusual heat often points to a loose connection or an overloaded circuit.
- A hot, buzzing or smelly panel: don’t touch it. Call an electrician, or 911 if there’s smoke.
Storm damage, flooding and downed lines
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and South Texas communities like Brownsville, Harlingen and Port Isabel know what a Gulf storm can do. North Texas gets its share of severe thunderstorms, hail and ice. After any storm:
- Treat every downed line as live. Stay well away, keep kids and pets back, and call 911 and your utility.
- Stay out of flooded rooms if water could reach outlets, cords or the panel. Don’t touch electrical equipment if you’re wet or standing in water.
- Don’t use electrical equipment that got wet until a licensed electrician has inspected it. Flooded panels, outlets and appliances often need to be replaced, not just dried out.
- From a safe distance, look for damage outside, like a bent service mast or a meter base pulled from the wall. Don’t touch it. Report it to your utility and call an electrician.
- Never run a portable generator indoors or in a garage, where carbon monoxide can build up, and never plug one into a wall outlet. Backfeeding through house wiring puts utility workers and neighbors in danger.
If outages are a regular part of life where you are, a permanent backup system is worth a look. Our standby generator installation guide covers how to size one and connect it safely.
What not to do in an electrical emergency
- Don’t remove the panel cover or touch anything behind it
- Don’t reset a breaker more than once
- Don’t use water on an electrical fire
- Don’t touch someone being shocked while they’re still in contact with the source
- Don’t try to repair wiring, outlets or panels yourself
- Don’t wait on a burning smell and hope it goes away
Get help from Alpha Electrical Solutions
Alpha Electrical Solutions offers 24/7 electrical emergency response from five offices across Texas: Pharr, Dallas–Fort Worth, Brownsville, Rio Grande City and Harlingen. Our licensed crews focus on getting the power back on safely and the hazard gone, with rapid response times for power emergencies.
If there’s fire, smoke or a downed power line, call 911 first. For an electrical emergency, call (956) 666-9997 any time. For non-urgent repairs, you can also request a free estimate.
