Hurricane Season Electrical and Generator Checklist for Houston

The best time to prepare is well before a storm has a name. Work through these items while the weather is calm.

A short written plan helps. List who in the house does what, where the flashlights, chargers and important papers are, and where you would go if you had to leave. Keep a printed list of phone numbers, including the utility and your electrician, in case your phone battery runs out.

Check your standby generator

If you have one, make sure it has had its scheduled service and that the area around it is clear. Our generator maintenance page explains what a service visit covers.

Know your panel

Find your main breaker and make sure everyone in the house knows where it is and how to shut it off. Label the circuits clearly.

Add surge protection

Whole-home protection at the panel, plus protected power strips for electronics, helps with the voltage swings that come with storms and restoration.

Charge and gather

Charge phones and battery packs, and set out flashlights. Avoid candles, which are a fire risk.

Plan for medical needs

If anyone depends on powered medical equipment, talk to the provider and your utility about a backup plan before the storm.

Secure the outside

Check outdoor lighting, fixtures and anything attached to the house that wind could pull loose.

Stay inside and away from windows. If you lose power, switch off major appliances and leave a single lamp on so you know when power returns. Turn off the air conditioner at the thermostat so it does not restart under strain.

Never touch downed power lines or anything they may be touching, and never drive through standing water. If you see sparks, smell burning or hear buzzing from your electrical equipment, and it is safe to do so, switch off the main breaker. If there is a fire or anyone is hurt, call 911.

If you have a standby generator, leave it on automatic and do not tamper with it during the storm. If you have a portable unit, set it up outside before the weather turns, because setting one up in wind and rain is how people make mistakes.

Generators save a bad night, and they also cause injuries every storm season when used wrongly. These rules matter.

Know the limits of what you are running. Add up the appliances you plan to power and stay under the generator's rated output, adding loads gradually. Use heavy-duty outdoor-rated extension cords sized for the load, and check them for damage. Never run cords under rugs or through doorways where they can be pinched or overheated.

Carbon monoxide

Generator exhaust contains carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell and which can kill. Run a portable generator only outdoors, far from windows, doors and vents, and never in a garage, even with the door open. Use battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms inside the house.

Distance from the house

Keep a portable unit well away from the building and point the exhaust away from it. Follow the distance in the manufacturer's manual, which may be more than you expect.

Never backfeed

Do not plug a generator into a wall outlet or connect it to the house wiring with a homemade cord. Backfeeding can send power into the utility lines and seriously injure or kill line workers and neighbors. Use a properly installed transfer switch or run appliances directly from the generator with suitable extension cords.

Fuel and heat

Let the unit cool before refueling, store fuel outside living spaces in approved containers, and keep the generator dry, but never run it under a closed cover.

Wait for the all-clear before going outside, and treat every downed line as live. Look around the outside of the house for damaged wiring, a bent or pulled service mast, or a meter that has shifted. If the mast or meter base is damaged, stay away and call the utility and a licensed electrician.

Power restoration is handled by CenterPoint Energy, the utility for the Houston area. We cannot tell you when power will come back, and we will not guess. Check the utility's own outage information for updates. When power does return, wait a few minutes and then switch on appliances one at a time instead of all at once.

Food safety matters too. Keep the refrigerator and freezer closed as much as possible, and follow public health guidance on what to throw out. If a standby generator has carried you through, schedule a service visit afterward, since the unit may have run for a long time.

Water and electricity do not mix. If water has reached your panel, outlets or any wiring, or if the panel was in standing water, do not touch it, do not switch breakers, and do not stand in water near electrical equipment. If you can reach the main breaker without entering water, it is reasonable to turn it off. Otherwise stay out and call the utility and a licensed electrician.

Wet electrical equipment generally has to be inspected, and often replaced, before power is restored. Do not try to dry it out and re-energize it yourself. Contact the permit office for your address about requirements for work after flooding. Our emergency electrician team can help once it is safe to do so.

Keep a record. Photograph the damage before cleanup and list what was affected, since your insurer will want it. Photographs from a safe distance are enough, and you should not step into a flooded area to take them.

Wired can help before the season with generator service, surge protection and panel checks, and after a storm with repairs and inspections. Call Wired Electrical & Generators at (713) 467-1125 for a free estimate. If anyone is in danger, call 911 first.