← Help in Grant County

The power is out and someone needs it for oxygen, medicine or heat

Use when the power goes out, a line is down, or a long outage is coming, and someone depends on oxygen, a breathing machine, cold medicine like insulin, or heat or cooling.

In danger right now: call 911. Crisis or thoughts of suicide: call or text 988. Not sure where to start? Call the Silver City Gospel Mission: 575-388-5071. Police, fire or sheriff, not an emergency: 575-388-8840 (Central Dispatch). Print our list of phone numbers →
These are the same steps our staff use when they help someone. "They" means the person who needs help: you, or someone you are helping. Go in order, and call ahead when you can.

1Report it and stay safe

PNM
Report a power outage or downed power line
1-888-342-5766
· 24/7
Stay at least 35 feet away from a downed power line, and anything touching it, like a fence or puddle. Call 911.
911 (Grant County Regional Dispatch)
Emergency: police, fire, ambulance
911
Silver City · 24/7
Use flashlights, not candles.

2If someone needs power to stay alive

If someone uses oxygen, a breathing machine or another medical device and the backup is running out, call 911.
You can ask"How long will your oxygen tank or battery last?"
You can ask"Do you have medicine that must stay cold, like insulin?"
Call the company that supplies the oxygen or device. Most have a 24-hour line for backup tanks.

3Food and medicine

Keep the fridge and freezer closed. Food stays cold about 4 hours in a closed fridge and about 2 days in a full freezer.
Insulin can stay at room temperature for a while. Ask a pharmacist how long theirs is good for.
When in doubt, throw it out. Don't eat food that smells bad or has been warm more than 2 hours.

4Stay warm or cool safely

Never use a grill, camp stove or generator indoors. See the guide "Smells gas, or a carbon monoxide alarm is going off".
If the home is too cold or hot, use the guide "No heat, or it's dangerously cold or hot".
At the Gospel MissionCome inside the Mission at 111 S. Texas St. during open hours (weekdays, breakfast 8:30-9:30, lunch 12-1).

This guide is general information only, not medical, legal or other professional advice. Places and rules change, so please call before you go. In an emergency, call 911; in a mental health crisis, call or text 988. Disclaimer

Know a better way? Is something out of date?

If a number or place here is wrong, you know a better resource, or you know a better way to help, tell us. We automatically check reliable sources and update supported routine details. Unclear changes and safety guidance go to our staff for review.

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Print these steps · Find more places to get help · Hours and numbers change; please call ahead. Something wrong? Tell us
Questions, or want someone to walk through this with you? The Silver City Gospel Mission, 111 S. Texas St., Silver City, 575-388-5071, weekdays 9:00am-1:45pm. Everyone is welcome.