Power outage notice to residents

The same notice three ways: an email with the details, a text of 160 characters or fewer, and a phone script of about 30 seconds.

Use this power outage message for a planned shutdown, such as a transformer replacement. For an unplanned outage, residents follow the power company's own alerts.

Email

Subject: Power off on Cypress Lane Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Residents of Cypress Lane,

The power company will turn off the power on Cypress Lane on Wednesday, June 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to replace a transformer.

Please charge your phones beforehand, and unplug computers and TVs before 10:00 a.m. Garage door openers will not work until the power is back.

If the work runs late, we will send another notice.

Questions: call the office at 727-555-0100 or reply to this email.

Oak Hollow HOA office

Text

DewAlert - Oak Hollow: Power off on Cypress Ln Wed 10am-2pm to replace a transformer. Charge phones first. Questions: 727-555-0100

DewAlert adds the gray start, "DewAlert - Oak Hollow:", so residents know who the text is from. You write the rest. 130 characters in all. One text.

A resident's first text after signing up also ends with "Reply STOP to opt out":

DewAlert - Oak Hollow: Power off on Cypress Ln Wed 10am-2pm to replace a transformer. Charge phones first. Questions: 727-555-0100 Reply STOP to opt out

152 characters. Still one text.

Phone call

This is the Oak Hollow office with a notice for Cypress Lane. The power company will turn off the power on Wednesday, from 10 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon, to replace a transformer. Please charge your phones and unplug computers and TVs before 10. Garage door openers won't work until the power is back. Again: power off Wednesday, 10 to 2, on Cypress Lane. Questions, call the office at 727-555-0100. Thank you.

About 30 seconds read aloud.

Writing tips

One notice, three ways.

Email

Put the street and the time in the subject. Many residents read only that.

Text

Keep the whole text to 160 characters, counting the start DewAlert adds with your community's name, and the STOP line on a resident's first text. An emoji or a curly quote can cut that to 70 and make it two messages. Leave out links, and give a phone number.

Phone

Say who is calling first. Say the main fact twice. Write times the way you would say them: "9 in the morning," not "9:00 a.m." Keep it near 30 seconds, because voicemail may cut a long one off.

DewAlert

Write all three on one page.

DewAlert sends one notice by email, text, and a recorded phone call, written separately for each, to the residents who asked for it.

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These templates are for everyday notices. They are not the official notice for a meeting, an election, a budget, a fine, or a lien. They do not replace your county's emergency alerts.