What to do during a Power Outage
Power outages can happen unexpectedly. Whether you live on or off campus, here’s what you should do to stay safe, informed and prepared until power is restored.
On-Campus Residents
- Update your Buff OneCard at a hotspot as soon as possible and prior to a planned outage.
- Electronic key card systems may experience temporary interruptions, though access to your individual unit should not be impacted.
- During a power outage, residents should use the entrance closest to your Community Center front desk.
- If you cannot access your building or room during the outage, first visit the Community Center front desk of your building. Then call 303-492-1404 if additional support is needed.
- For your safety, please do not prop exterior doors.
- Open flames are not permitted at any time, including the use of candles.
- Generators, space heaters and grills/portable stoves are not permitted.
Tips and Recommendations
- Charge phones, laptops, medical devices and backup batteries.
- During high winds, stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.
- During high-wind events, please shut windows and doors to your unit.
- Amenities such as elevators, washers and clothes dryers will not work during a power outage.
- Plan ahead and consider stocking up on nonperishable food items and bottled water.
- During a power outage, it is possible that only certain buildings on campus will be impacted. You may still be able to enter other buildings like the Center for Community, University Memorial Center or Recreation Center to charge devices or shower.
Resources
- Report downed/broken tree limbs to the Operations Control Center at 303-492-5522.
- For the most up-to-date outage information, please refer to the Xcel Electric Outage Map.
- Continue to check alerts.colorado.edu.
- Sign up for Boulder County Alerts (BoCo Alerts) to receive updates about emergencies or disasters in Boulder County and the actions you should take to keep yourself safe.