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Power Outages

Severe weather, extreme heat, and electrical grid malfunctions can result in Dartmouth losing power for an undetermined amount of time. A large portion of the electricity that Dartmouth relies on is produced on campus by the heating plant, but the rest is supplied by commercial sources not under Dartmouth's control. While short power outages rarely result in serious hazards, long term outages can be inconvenient and hazardous.

Our electrical grid is controlled by Liberty Utilities. To determine the extent of an outage, go to the Liberty Utilities Outage Map. Also, contact the Dartmouth Work Control Center at 603-646-2508 to report the outage.

Understand the Impacts:

  • Many buildings on campus have generators, but in most cases these only support life safety equipment (fire alarms, emergency egress lighting, etc.).
  • Voice over IP (VoIP) phones will only work as long as the network is operational.  In most buildings this will be approximately 30 mins.  
  • The wireless network will also begin to fail after approximately 30 mins.
  • The heating plant can generate power, but depending on circumstances can take up to several hours to be operational and will only include some buildings on the Main Campus electrical feed.
  • Take care when navigating dark spaces.
  • Do not use candles in Dartmouth buildings; take extreme care if using them off campus.
  • Do not attempt to access electrical control panels.
  • Monitor local radio stations for updates and recommendations.
  • Turn off all lights, computers, and appliances to avoid a surge when the power is restored.

To be prepared...

  • Keep one or more flashlights and spare batteries easily accessible.
  • Use a surge protector for valuable electronic equipment.
  • Laboratories should plan for research continuity and understand what in their facility is on generator back-up.  
  • Keep a battery operated or hand-crank radio accessible.
  • Backup your data on an external hard drive or other media.
  • Remember that ATMs and cash registers often do not work in a power outage.
  • Keep your cell phone charged regularly and limit its use during an outage to extend battery life.

 

For a full guide, visit Ready.gov: Blackouts (Power Outages | Ready.gov)