Electricity is an amazing addition to our lives. We couldn’t watch TV, turn on a lightbulb or check email on a computer without it. However, for all the wonderful things that electricity does for us, it can also be unforgiving — and even deadly. One thing to remember as you go about your daily activities: Watch out for power lines. 

1 — Avoid raising a television antenna, or any other antenna, near a power line.

2 — Don’t fly kites anywhere near power lines. Kite string that crosses a power line, especially if the string is wet, can carry electric current down to the person at the end of the string, resulting in electrocution.

3 — Stay away from trees that have power lines running through, or even near, their branches. Contact with one of these lines can seriously injure or kill. 

4 — Watch where you take your ladders. Always carry them parallel to the ground to decrease the risk of contact with power lines, and when you raise a ladder, do it carefully.

5 — If you notice a downed power line near your home, stay far away from it. Even though a line may be broken it can still be carrying an electrical current, which could electrocute you. Contact your local REMC as soon as you can, day or night, and the co-op will send a crew out to repair the problem.