Right now, in this order
Keep everyone clear
Don't touch anyone who may still be in contact with power. Call 000.
Main switch off, if it's safe
Only if the meter box is dry and you're not standing in water. If it's sparking or smoking, leave it and keep back.
Ring the right number
Fire, smoke or injury: 000. Lines down or the street out: Western Power on 13 13 51. Storm damage to the house: SES on 132 500.
Report any shock
On Western Power's network every shock has to be reported, even a tingle from a tap or appliance. Renters tell Western Power first, then the landlord.
A line down in your street
Western Power says to treat every fallen powerline or pole as live and keep at least 8 metres away until it's been made safe. After a storm, look for lines tangled in branches before you walk out the front. Keep children and pets inside and call 13 13 51.
Why Perth's power goes out
Pole top fires
Light rain or humidity on insulators coated in dust, salt and pollution can set the top of a pole alight. On 4 March 2024 about 70 of them cut power to around 47,000 homes and businesses at the peak.
Storms and tropical leftovers
The May 2005 cold front and its tornadoes cut power to more than 100,000 customers. Decaying cyclones still reach Perth: Narelle's outer bands dropped 62.8 mm on 28 March 2026.
Fire danger days
When the rating is Extreme or Catastrophic, Western Power won't switch power back on after an unplanned outage, and on high risk days it may patrol the line first. Expect a long wait, sometimes into the evening.
Long outages
If a network outage runs 12 continuous hours or more, the State's extended outage payment may apply. Claims go to Western Power within 60 days.
Alerts and planned work
Western Power lists planned outages 10 days ahead and sends outage texts to more than a million residential customers without them having to sign up.
When it's an electrician's job
If the neighbours and the streetlights have power and you don't, the fault is probably on your side. A safety switch that trips again straight away, a scorched power point, a buzzing or warm switchboard, or power gone from half the house all need a licensed electrician.
Once the network restores power after an outage, keep an eye on anything that was running when it went. If an appliance won't start or smells hot, leave it unplugged and mention it when the electrician calls. Power out in part of the house helps narrow things down while you wait.
Sending an urgent job through us
We're not an emergency service. If we have a licence-checked Perth electrician who takes on fault finding and urgent repairs near you, we'll pass the job to them and they'll contact you, but we can't promise how soon.
In the form, pick Something's not working, then Today, it's urgent. Say what tripped, what you smelt or heard, and what's still off. For anything dangerous, call 000 or Western Power before you touch the form.
If it happened at our place
We'd save 13 13 51 in every phone now and make sure everyone at home can find the main switch with a torch. Over summer, we'd keep a charged power bank and a plan for the fridge, because on a Catastrophic fire day the power can stay off for hours. Then, if something inside the house fails, we'd make it safe first and look for an electrician second.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.