Who do I call about a downed power line?

Call 911 first, then the electric utility. Stay at least 35 feet away and keep others back. Treat every wire as live, including ones that look like cable or phone lines.

What should I do if I smell gas outside?

Leave the area before calling. Do not flip a light switch, start a car, or use your phone until you are clear of the smell. Then call the gas utility's emergency line or 911.

Who removes debris from the road?

On an interstate or state highway, call 911 or the state highway patrol, since debris in a lane causes crashes. On a city street, report it to 311 or the non-emergency police line.

Downed power line, gas smell, or debris in the road: who to call

A wire on the ground, a smell of gas, a ladder in the fast lane. Each one has a different right number.

Most road and street hazards have an obvious answer to "should I call someone" and a less obvious answer to "who."

A downed power line. Call 911, then the electric utility. Stay well back, at least 35 feet, and keep other people back too. Treat every wire as live, including the ones that look dead and the ones that are just cable or phone lines, because you can't tell from the sidewalk. If a line is on a car, the people inside should stay in the car unless it's on fire. Don't touch anything the wire is touching. Don't drive over it.

A smell of gas. Leave the area first, then call the gas utility's emergency line or 911 from somewhere else. Don't flip a light switch, don't start a car, and don't use your phone until you're clear of the smell. The number for the gas company is on your bill and on their website. It's worth having in your phone before you need it.

Debris in a traffic lane. A ladder, a mattress, a tire, a chunk of something off a truck. On an interstate or state highway, this is a call to 911 or the state highway patrol, because it's a crash waiting to happen and they can get a unit there fast. On a city street, 311 or the non-emergency police line, unless it's blocking a lane on a busy road, in which case treat it like the highway.

A traffic light that's out. An intersection with a dark signal is a four-way stop, legally, in most states. Report it to 311 or the city's traffic department. If it's a busy intersection at rush hour, the non-emergency police line is also fine, since they may send someone to direct traffic.

A tree or large limb down. If it's on a wire, it's a power-line call, above. If it's just in the road, 311 or public works for a city street, and the state DOT for a state route. If it's blocking a road completely, 911 is fine, since a blocked road is a problem for ambulances too.

Water in the street that shouldn't be there. Clear water bubbling up through pavement is usually a water main. Call the water utility. Water pooling in a low spot after rain is a storm drain, and that's 311.

The pattern: if it can hurt someone in the next few minutes, 911. If it's the utility's equipment, the utility company. If it's the city's road, the city. If it's a numbered highway, the state. Save the utility numbers in your phone tonight, because the day you need them, you won't want to be searching Google.