Alliant Energy advises caution around flooded homes & businesses

Guidelines Offered to Ensure Safety

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – June 9, 2008 – With weather forecasters predicting potential record flooding across Alliant Energy’s Iowa and Minnesota service area this week, it is critical to use extreme caution during flooding situations. Alliant Energy offers the following guidelines to ensure your safety.

* Never walk through a flooded home or building until the electricity is disconnected. Even a small amount of water on the floor of your basement can put you at risk for electrocution.
* Call Alliant Energy to have service disconnected at the meter. If there is standing water in your home or business, call Alliant Energy at 1-800-ALLIANT (255-4268) to have power disconnected before you step into any standing water. Once the power is disconnected, it’s safe to begin clean up.
* Call Alliant Energy to have your natural gas turned off. Standing water can snuff out pilot lights on hot water heaters and furnaces. If this occurs, natural gas may collect in your home, creating the risk of an explosion. Call Alliant Energy at 1-800-ALLIANT (255-4268) to have your home’s natural gas service turned off.
* Have a licensed electrician inspect your electrical system before calling to be reconnected.
* Have your furnace and water heater inspected by a heating or appliance and service repair contractor before calling to be reconnected. Gas appliance manufacturers recommend replacing appliance parts that have been under water.

Alliant Energy does not charge for flood-related disconnects and reconnects. Shutting off your gas and electric service during times of flooding is done for safety purposes. Alliant Energy will not charge you to have your service turned off when flooding occurs, or turned back on after the clean-up is completed.

For more information, call Alliant Energy’s 24-hour Customer Service Center at 1-800-255-4628. You can also check out the Storm and Outage Center in the Utility Services section of our website at Storm & Outage Center.