Utility workers can fix a minor incident, such as a fallen power line, in around 2-3 hours. But when the cause of a blackout is severe weather or a natural disaster, you can expect to be out for several days and even months in some extreme cases.

During an Outage If the power goes out, unplug all electric appliances to avoid overloading circuits and fire hazards caused by the restored power.

Severe weather and storms Wind, such as derechos, hurricanes and tornadoes, can blow down power lines. Lightning can knock down trees that fall on transmission wires. It can also directly hit any part of the electrical grid, including power lines and substations.