WASHINGTON — The summer storm season presents a number of electrical hazards that call for caution to ensure personal safety.
“Lightning, power lines down, flooded, wet electrical equipment, portable generators,” says Pete Piringer, a spokesman for Montgomery County’s Fire and Rescue department.
“Any time you have a wet appliance or a flooded condition in your home, and there’s electricity, you have to assume that the water can become energized,” Piringer says. “Electricity and water are just a dangerous combination.”
Still early in the season, there have been plenty of storms already. Rainfall for June has set records in some spots in the D.C. area.
Piringer says electrical precautions are necessary whenever there is a flooding in a home: “Assume that all wires on the ground are electrically charged, this includes cable TV feeds.”
Many homes in the area have permanently installed sump pumps in the basement or in a well. Some homes use portable sump pumps that must be plugged in.
“If you have a wet environment, if you’re trying to introduce a sump pump into that environment you have to use extreme caution because you’re obviously using an electrical appliance and submerging into the water. It has to be in good working condition,” Piringer says.
When a house is flooded, power to the home should be turned off at the main electrical box or fuse box, but homeowners should only attempt this if they can safely reach the main breaker.
Outside the house, people should avoid downed utility lines and notify the utility company about downed lines.
