Wired for the Worst: Prep for utilities failure
By Sally McGinty
Whether caused by a summer storm, a vehicle crash, flooding, or even a cyberattack, utility failures can quickly turn everyday routines into emergencies.
For Portage County residents, losing electricity or water can be far more than an inconvenience, particularly for those who rely on medical equipment, private wells, or other essential services.
Utility disruptions can affect public safety, business operations, communications, and access to basic necessities.
While outages involving internet, telephone, natural gas, or water systems can occur, power failures remain the most common concern for local residents.
Electrical outages typically happen when storms, flooding, vehicle crashes, or other incidents damage power infrastructure. In some cases, outages can affect large areas when problems occur at a power-generating facility or major transmission line.
Beyond the inconvenience of losing lights, air conditioning, heating, and internet service, downed power lines pose serious dangers, including fire, injury, and death.
For many people, a power outage is simply an inconvenience. For others, especially those who depend on electrically powered medical equipment, it can quickly become a life-threatening situation.
Five utilities provide electric service within Portage County:
- Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), part of WEC Energy Group
- Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative
- Wisconsin Power & Light (Alliant Energy)
- Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative
- Wisconsin Rapids Water Works & Lighting Commission
WPS serves the largest number of customers in the county, with approximately 24,000 accounts.
Fortunately, most local outages are restored relatively quickly. Still, residents concerned about extended disruptions may want to consider backup power options.
Backup power systems range from portable battery units capable of charging phones and running small appliances to whole-house generators that automatically restore electricity when utility service is interrupted.
Whole-house systems, available from manufacturers such as Generac and Kohler, often cost several thousand dollars and generally require professional installation.
Portable alternatives include gasoline-powered generators and solar-powered battery systems. These options can provide electricity for essential appliances, lighting, communications equipment, and medical devices during an outage.
Residents should also plan for alternative heat sources during winter months. Properly installed propane heating systems can provide warmth when the electrical grid is down, although all equipment should be used according to manufacturer safety recommendations.
If a prolonged outage occurs during extreme weather, depending on conditions, local officials may establish warming, cooling, or emergency shelter locations.
While power outages often receive the most attention, access to safe drinking water is equally critical.
Americans use an average of 80 to 100 gallons of water each day for drinking, cooking, bathing, laundry, and sanitation. Most people can survive for an extended period without electricity, but only a few days (generally three) without water.
The City of Stevens Point and the villages of Plover, Whiting, Amherst, and Junction City operate municipal water systems that rely entirely on groundwater. Residents outside those service areas often depend on private wells, which also require planning and preparation during emergencies.
In recent years, cyberattacks and attempted intrusions involving municipal water systems have attracted national attention.
While such incidents remain relatively uncommon, they highlight the need to protect critical infrastructure and maintain plans for responding to utility disruptions.
Joel Lemke, Public Utilities Director for the City of Stevens Point, said Wisconsin utilities are required to conduct risk and resiliency assessments that examine both cyber and physical security vulnerabilities. The process includes identifying potential weaknesses and addressing them before they become larger problems.
Lemke said residents should be confident in the safety of the city’s water supply during most emergencies.
“If there is a crisis in the city, it will be safe to drink the water unless told otherwise,” he said.
Residents with concerns about water quality or service interruptions are encouraged to contact the utility office directly.
Emergency management officials recommend that households maintain basic preparedness supplies, including flashlights, extra batteries, drinking water, necessary medications, and multiple ways to receive emergency information during a power outage.
Utility failures cannot always be prevented. However, planning ahead, maintaining emergency supplies, and understanding available resources can significantly reduce the impact of an outage and help families remain safe until services are restored.
For most residents, utility outages are rare and temporary. But emergency managers say that preparing before the lights go out is one of the simplest steps households can take to protect themselves when the unexpected occurs.