News & Peace: When the Lights Go Out, Memphis Shows Up , What Should You Do During a Power Outage?

By Boundless Online Church , Scripture-centered pastoral content team.

Updated August 23, 2026

Memphis is waking up to dark homes, fallen trees, damaged lines, and a long recovery after severe storms moved through the area.

According to the latest update reported by Action News 5, outages reached approximately 130,000 MLGW customers at the peak, with more than 100,000 still without power in the latest report. MLGW crews, tree-trimming teams, and contractors are working to assess damage and restore service.

MLGW says its restoration priorities include hospitals, water treatment facilities, and sewer facilities, followed by circuits that can restore power to the largest number of customers.

There is no need to panic, but there is a need to stay alert, protect one another, and use reliable information.

The short answer: Stay safe, check on neighbors, and follow official updates

If your power is out:

1. Stay away from downed power lines and fallen trees near lines.

2. Use flashlights instead of candles whenever possible.

3. Conserve your phone battery.

4. Check on older adults, medically vulnerable neighbors, and people living alone.

5. Never use a generator indoors, inside a garage, or near doors and windows.

6. Follow official heat and health guidance.

7. Call emergency services if there is immediate danger.

8. Check the MLGW Outage Map and call 901-544-6500 for current outage information.

Restoration work is underway, but individual restoration times can change as crews discover additional damage. The outage map and MLGW hotline are the best places to find current information about your address.

First, make your immediate space safe

Power outages can make ordinary hazards harder to see. Take a slow look around your home before moving through dark rooms or going outside.

Keep these safety reminders in view

• Stay away from downed lines. Treat every power line as energized, even if it appears inactive. Keep children and pets away, and do not touch lines, tree limbs, fences, vehicles, or other objects that may be in contact with them.

• Do not clear debris from power lines yourself. Report the hazard to MLGW and wait for trained crews.

• Use flashlights rather than candles when possible. If candles are the only option, keep them on a stable, nonflammable surface and never leave them unattended.

• Unplug sensitive electronics if it is safe to do so. This can help protect equipment when service returns.

• Never use a generator indoors. Do not operate one in a home, basement, garage, carport, or enclosed porch. Carbon monoxide can build up without warning. Keep generators outdoors and far from doors, windows, and vents, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

• Call emergency services for immediate danger. This includes fire, a medical emergency, trapped people, dangerous structural damage, or another situation requiring an immediate response.

If you are unsure whether something is safe, do not approach it. Distance is protection.

Conserve your phone and use trusted information

Your phone may be your connection to emergency updates, family members, medical support, and utility information. Conserve its battery where you can.

Try these simple steps:

• Turn on low-power mode.

• Lower your screen brightness.

• Close apps running in the background.

• Send short text messages instead of making long calls when appropriate.

• Avoid streaming video unless necessary.

• Keep one phone available for emergency communication.

• Write down important phone numbers if your phone battery is low.

For outage information, use the MLGW Outage Map or call 901-544-6500. Avoid relying on unverified posts, forwarded messages, or rumors about restoration.

Official information may change as damage assessments continue. Checking once, then conserving your battery, is often wiser than refreshing constantly.

Check on the people who may be most at risk

A power outage is inconvenient for many people, but it can become dangerous for someone who depends on electricity for cooling, medical equipment, mobility, communication, or medication storage.

If you can do so safely, check on:

• Older adults living alone

• Neighbors with medical conditions

• People who use powered medical equipment

• Families with infants or young children

• People recovering from illness or injury

• Neighbors without reliable transportation

• Anyone who may be isolated or unable to receive updates

A check-in does not need to be complicated. Knock on the door, call, or send a text:

“We’re checking on neighbors after the storm. Are you safe? Do you need water, information, or help contacting someone?”

Offer practical help within your ability. That might mean sharing drinking water, helping someone charge a phone, passing along verified outage information, or helping a neighbor contact family. Do not put yourself in danger, enter unsafe structures, handle downed trees, or transport someone if road conditions are hazardous.

Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” In context, Paul is teaching believers to live with humility, compassion, and responsibility toward one another. During a difficult outage, bearing burdens can look like paying attention, offering help, and refusing to let vulnerable people disappear from our concern.

Take heat and health concerns seriously

A power outage during warm weather can create added health risks, especially for older adults, infants, people with chronic illness, and anyone who works or rests in a hot home.

Follow current guidance from local emergency management and public health officials. If your home becomes unsafe because of heat or another condition, seek a safe location through verified local resources. Do not assume that a particular church, business, or public building is operating as a cooling or charging station unless that location has officially confirmed it.

If someone shows signs of a serious medical problem, call emergency services. Do not wait for the power to return.

You can also reduce heat exposure by staying in the coolest safe area of the home, drinking water if medically appropriate, avoiding strenuous activity, and checking frequently on people who may not recognize how quickly heat can affect them.

Pray without ignoring practical action

Prayer is not a substitute for wisdom, safety, or emergency help. It is one way we bring fear, uncertainty, and responsibility before God while we take the next faithful step.

Philippians 4:6-7 was written to believers learning how to respond to anxiety through prayer, thanksgiving, and trust in God. The passage does not pretend that difficult circumstances are unreal. It invites us to bring those circumstances to God, believing that His peace guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

So pray for Memphis, and then make the call, check the neighbor, conserve the battery, and follow the safety instruction in front of you.

A prayer for Memphis

Father, we bring Memphis before You with its homes, neighborhoods, hospitals, water systems, roads, and families.

Please protect the linemen, tree crews, contractors, first responders, medical workers, and everyone serving through this recovery. Give them wisdom, strength, alertness, and safe conditions as they work.

Bring comfort and practical help to families without power. Be near to older adults, medically vulnerable people, children, caregivers, and anyone who feels alone or afraid. Help neighbors notice one another and respond with patience and compassion.

Teach us to carry one another’s burdens in the way of Christ. Guard our hearts and minds with Your peace as we pray, use wisdom, and wait for reliable updates.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

What you can do in the next ten minutes

If you are safe right now, take these next steps:

1. Check whether your outage appears on the MLGW outage map.

2. Save battery by turning on low-power mode.

3. Gather flashlights, water, medications, and essential phone numbers.

4. Look outside only from a safe position for downed lines or blocked access.

5. Check one neighbor, especially someone older or medically vulnerable.

6. Share only verified information from MLGW or local emergency officials.

7. Pray for the people working and waiting through the recovery.

Boundless Online Church is available as a place for Scripture, prayer, and encouragement when you need a calm place to breathe. You can visit www.boundlessonlinechurch.org, submit a prayer request through the Prayer Wall, or find Christian encouragement through the online church resources.

If you are in immediate danger, call emergency services. Prayer support is not a replacement for emergency response.

Verified sources

• Action News 5: MLGW provides update after storms knock out power for over 100,000 customers

• MLGW Outage Map

• MLGW Residential Safety Information

What is one safe, practical way you can check on a neighbor in Memphis today?

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