Storm Preparation Tips

• Be informed-know what type of weather is expected for your area.
• Prepare an emergency first-aid kit with essential medicines and other special items, including non-perishable food and water, a manual can opener, and candles with matches.
• Arrange for a back-up power supply if someone in your family requires life-support equipment.
• Call NIPSCO immediately if downed power lines fall on your property or in your neighborhood. Don't approach the downed line. Keep children and others away for their safety.
• Call NIPSCO from a corded or cellular phone - not a cordless phone. Be careful not to assume that your neighbors are without power because you are. NIPSCO uses outage information and phone calls to track and patrol power lines and equipment. Our crews can identify a specific area that might have been affected by adverse weather.
• Make sure that flashlights, portable radios, and a wind-up or battery-operated alarm clock are handy and that batteries are fully charged and ready for use.

Prepare for Spring Storms
The spring storm season will begin soon. That means now is a good time to practice some simple safety tips to help reduce the impact of storm damage to your electric service.

If you lose power, first check your home's circuit breaker or fuse. If power is not restored after resetting the breaker or replacing the blown fuse, call NIPSCO at 1-800-464-7726. We follow basic priorities that will restore service to the most customers quickest.

Our customer service center is available 24-hours-a-day, 7 days a week. You can report outage information through our automated phone system or to one of our qualified customer service representatives. During severe weather, however, we're often swamped with calls. We ask for your patience during storm outages if you choose to speak directly to a representative rather than use our automated system.
Severe weather can cause a variety of electrical emergencies. Never attempt to fix outdoor damage yourself. If you experience damage where electricity enters your home, contact NIPSCO's Contractor Connect program immediately.

We'll put you in touch with a pre-qualified local electrical contractor to fix the problem. It's a no-obligation referral and financing options are available. Just call us at 1-800-464-7726 then press the star key and 73, or visit our Web site at www.nipsco.com.

Call Before You Dig . . . It's the Law!

Ready to pick up a shovel to start a construction or landscaping project this spring? Save yourself some trouble. Pick up the phone first and call your state's One Call agency at least three days in advance of the work. By making that one call, you can save time, money and maybe even your life. The service will mark the approximate location of underground utility lines in the work area and is free to residential customers. A small fee may be charged to commercial customers.

The service will give you the green light to dig that posthole, put in the new swimming pool, excavate for an addition, or move earth for any project.

So call before you dig. It's the law.

Be Aware of the Odor of Gas

Although natural gas in its original state is odorless, we add an organic compound called mercaptan when the gas arrives at the regulating station for your community. The compound has a distinctive smell - like rotten eggs - to alert you to the presence of natural gas escaping in or around your home.

The source of a gas odor could be inside your home from a leak in your house line or appliance connection. It also could be outside from leaks in a service or main line that could come into your home through foundation walls or drain lines.

For your safety, it's important to know what to do if you smell this distinctive odor and to practice emergency plans. If you smell an odor of gas:
1. Leave the building immediately. Don't light matches, touch electrical switches, or use the phone.
2. Call us from a nearby phone. Our employees are on call 24 hours a day to respond to emergencies within the hour.
3. Plan to meet our serviceperson or provide access to your home to inspect your equipment and check for the source of the odor.