We’ve all experienced it—one moment, you’re going about your day, and the next, the power goes out. You might think, “The weather’s fine, so what could be the cause?”
Believe it or not, there are many reasons for power outages beyond just bad weather. From animals to car accidents or farming equipment, a variety of factors can disrupt your electricity. Let’s take a closer look at the common causes of outages and their impact on us in 2024:
Weather
Weather events are the leading cause of power outages. High winds, lightning strikes, snow, and ice can cause significant damage to electrical equipment. Two major contributors—weather and vegetation—often go hand in hand. Wind, rain, snow, and ice frequently bring down trees or branches onto power lines, causing interruptions. Last year, weather-related incidents accounted for 163 outages, making up 40% of the total outages in 2024.
Equipment and Maintenance
While we proactively service and upgrade our infrastructure, occasional equipment failures still occur. Aging equipment or unforeseen malfunctions can lead to interruptions. Additionally, planned outages for repairs and upgrades are necessary to ensure long-term system reliability. In 2024, equipment-related issues accounted for 56 outages, representing 14% of our total disruptions. These efforts, while sometimes inconvenient, are critical to maintaining dependable service.
Animals
Surprisingly, animals can pose significant challenges to our electrical system. Wildlife such as squirrels, raccoons, and birds often interact with our equipment, sometimes causing faults. Despite our efforts to install bird guards and other deterrents, some determined animals still manage to create disruptions. Snakes climbing poles have also been known to cause issues. In 2024, animal-related incidents accounted for 63 outages, making up 15% of our total disruptions.
Public
Human activity is another contributing factor to power outages. Vehicle accidents, farm equipment mishaps, theft of cooperative equipment, and even aircraft incidents have caused disruptions. In 2024, public-related incidents accounted for 43 outages, or 10% of the total. These included 16 vehicle accidents that damaged poles, one aircraft-related incident, and 6 outages caused by farm equipment.
Moving Forward
Understanding the causes of power outages helps shed light on what might be affecting your service. If you see our trucks drive past your house, they’re not ignoring you—they’re looking for the source of the issue. Once identified, our crews prioritize restoring power to the largest number of members as quickly and safely as possible. At Edgecombe-Martin County EMC, our mission remains clear: to deliver safe, affordable, and reliable electricity 24/7, every day of the year.
Cooperatively,
Mike Johnson
Mike Johnson