LCEC – Lee County Electric Cooperative

Assessing damage to your home and business following Hurricane Ian

October 6, 2022 – LCEC urges customers remaining without power to inspect damage to their home or business as a result of Hurricane Ian. It is essential to understand what LCEC is responsible for and what the customer is responsible for.

Use caution and be aware of possible downed power lines. Visually inspect the electric facilities that bring power into your home or business. This includes the weather head, the riser conduit that covers the wires, and the meter can. If there is damage, a licensed electrician must make repairs. If water has entered the home through flooding or rainwater seeping into the walls around electric wiring, a licensed electrician should inspect to determine potential damage.

If overhead electric lines power the home or business, keep the following in mind when inspecting and planning for repairs:

LCEC is responsible for:

• Service drop – these are the wires running from our pole to your home
• Electric meter – this device measures your electricity usage in kilowatt-hours

Customers own and are responsible for repairing:

• Weatherhead and insulator – this is located where our electric lines connect to your home
• Service entrance cable – this wire extends from your weatherhead to the meter and from the meter to the fuse box or circuit breaker
• Meter can – your electric meter is mounted in this box
• Fuse box and circuit breaker box – this is the service panel that houses your fuses or circuit breaker
• Wiring – this is the interior wiring that moves electricity through your home

It is important to remember that:

• Restoring power to damaged facilities could cause a fire.
• Once repaired, customer owned electric systems must be inspected by local government officials before power can be restored.
• LCEC repairs damage to the electric grid facilities and electric meters. Customers are responsible for repairs to the meter box, including pipes and wires coming into and out of the box as well as the house.
• If your home or business has structural damage or water intrusion, turn off your electricity at the breaker panel.

Customers and line workers alike play an important role in the safety and reliability of electric service. For restoration updates, safety tips and more, visit lcec.net.