Storm safety

When will my power be restored?

It can be hard for us to provide estimated restoration times on our outage map. Here’s why. When we have large numbers of outages at once, we have to get to each site and assess the damage before we can give an accurate time. Some fixes are quick, and others, like replacing multiple damaged poles, are a full-day job. Some outages might impact several hundred customers and others 1 household. While we sincerely wish we could tell everyone exactly when their power will come back on, the volume of damage could be significant enough that it makes it difficult to pinpoint the restoration time for everyone.

Keep in mind that even in your own neighborhood, some homes may come back on-line before others. Homes on the same block may receive power from different sources, which may result in your neighbors being reconnected before you.  

Do you fix outages in the order they're reported? 

Our highest priorities are situations where public safety is at risk, like downed power lines and poles. Next, we look to restore the largest number of customers as quickly as possible, taking into account critical infrastructure, such as storm pumps, hospitals and emergency services, as well as organizations with significant community impacts, such as schools and shelters.

Will your crews be coming to my neighborhood?

It depends. Our crews are sent to the source of the problem, which may or may not be in your immediate neighborhood. So while you may not see our crews, you can be sure that they are working efficiently to solve the problem at its source. 

My power is flashing on and off repeatedly. What should I do?

Call 1-888-456-7683 and provide information to our Outage Line. 

Will SMUD remove the tree debris from the tree cutting or pruning it does to restore power after storm damage?

To deliver safe and reliable electricity, our Vegetation Management team regularly inspects and prunes more than 200,000 trees in our 900-square-mile service area.

When wind or storms damage trees and create safety hazards on or around SMUD’s powerlines or electrical equipment or cause power outages, SMUD will prune or cut the trees to remove the public safety hazard and restore power. It’s the property owner’s responsibility to remove and dispose of the tree debris on their property. SMUD encourages customers to call a licensed tree removal or clean up service to perform this work.

View a complete list of outage FAQs

• National Weather Service
• 211 Sacramento
• Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services

The photos below were taken during a fierce storm that hit the Sacramento area on Feb. 4-5, 2024. Our crews worked around the clock to restore power to our customers.