Ames Power Outage Phone Line Down

The City of Ames Electric Services electric outage reporting system has been temporarily reduced to one phone line due to an equipment malfunction and callers may not be able to report power outages.

While the system is being repaired, some customers who call the number, (515) 239-5240, may hear continuous ringing rather than being connected, according to a release from the city.

The 24-hour outage number should be used by customers who experience a power outage. When operating correctly, the system can handle eight or more calls simultaneously. The malfunction was first reported Friday, and there has been on-going repair work to reactivate the other phone lines. 

Customers whose calls don't go through on the automated power outage number may call City of Ames Utility Customer Service during business hours at (515) 239-5120. After hours, customers experiencing a power outage should call the non-emergency Police dispatch number at 
(515) 239-5133. 

The automated system is expected to be repaired by Tuesday.