Restoring power after a flood 
When your home or business is flooded, it’s very important to make sure it’s safe to restore electrical service.
Appalachian Power maintains the electrical facilities and equipment to the point of connection to your home or business.
You are responsible for the entrance cable, meter base, grounding equipment, the cable to the main breaker and all facilities within your home or business.
If your home or business was flooded or damaged by flooding, then the electrical equipment, wiring, breakers and outlets may have sustained damage and could be dangerous to operate.
We recommend that you contact a licensed electrician to inspect the safety of the facilities inside your home or business prior to turning the main breaker back on after power has been restored to the home.
• If flood waters reached breaker panels, the panel will need to be replaced and the entire electrical service will need to be brought up to National Electric Code (NEC) standards.
• If flood waters do not appear to have reached the panel, and the service is otherwise deemed to be safe, it can be re-energized.
• If flood waters reached the outdoor disconnect, this will also need to be replaced and brought up to NEC standards.
After damage has been repaired, an electrical inspection by an approved inspector is required before Appalachian Power can reconnect power. During this flood emergency, Appalachian Power will pay for that electrical inspection for both residential and non-residential customers.
When you are ready to have your service re-connected, contact Appalachian Power’s Customer Solutions Center at 1-800-982-4237.
Want more information? Try these websites:
Electrical Safety Foundation: http://www.esfi.org/resource/flood-safety-253
Appalachian Power: http://www.appalachianpower.com
Appalachian Power 24-hour Customer Service Center: 1-800-982-4237
FEMA has set up a Disaster Recovery Center at the Kanawha County Schools Warehouse in Crede, by Elk Elementary Center from 7:00am-7:00pm. Individuals may go to this location in person to apply for disaster assistance.
3322 Pennsylvania Ave
Charleston, WV 25302
(304) 348-6697