We treat every “wire down” report with heightened sensitivity because of the potential for danger. We respond to every call as soon as we can. In some cases, especially after storms, we will inspect the area and assess danger. We mark downed wires to identify those in our system and those that belong to another utility. If we have other critical repairs to get to, we may barricade the area safely until crews are available to come back and make final repairs.

If you see yellow tape, it's in our network. If you see orange tape, it means it belongs to another utility. We will notify the proper utility that their wire is down.

No. Reporting a wire down ensures we will assess the situation and make it safe for the public. Crews will make repairs to restore power as soon as they are able, which may require a return visit at a later time. Because responding to a downed wire is a priority for our crews after a major storm, we may have to pull additional crews working on repairs to respond to reports of a downed wire. Additionally, if crews respond to a report of a wire down and there is no wire to assess, they will return to their originally scheduled work location for the day.

At first glance, you may be unable to tell. Call us to report the downed wire and we will inspect the area, ensure it's safe and then tag it with yellow or orange tape. Yellow tape identifies the wire as a Dominion Energy wire, and orange tape identifies it as another utility. We will notify the owner utility of the wire down.

During busy times and certainly after major storm events, it will take time for us to get to every downed line reported.

No. Rubber tires will not adequately protect you from an energized downed wire.

No. The line might be energized and the object itself could also become energized.

Crews will first make sure the wire does not pose an immediate hazard. The wire will be flagged with orange tape indicating the wire isn't part of our network and the owner of the wire will be notified.