Storm damage to your meter loop or weatherhead: who fixes what

By the LiveWire Electrical team · Texarkana, TX

A limb comes down, the wind gets under the service line, and suddenly the pipe coming out of your roof is bent sideways — or lying in the yard with the meter still attached. The power company shows up, disconnects, and tells you to "call an electrician and get it inspected." That's usually the moment homeowners call us confused about who is responsible for what. Here's the plain version.

The dividing line: the utility owns up to the connection

Your electric utility owns the line running from the pole to your house and the meter itself. Everything mounted on your home — the mast or weatherhead, the service entrance conductors, the meter base or "meter loop," the panel, and all the wiring inside — belongs to you, the homeowner. That's the part an electrical contractor repairs.

So when a storm tears the mast off the wall, the utility will pull their line clear for safety, but they won't rebuild your mast. A licensed electrician does that work, the city inspects it, and only then does the utility come back and reconnect. That sequence is why the repair takes coordination, and why calling a licensed contractor first speeds everything up.

Downed line on the ground? Assume it's live. Stay back, keep kids and pets away, and call the utility — then call us for the work on the house.

What the repair usually involves

Weatherhead and mast: replacing bent conduit, straps, and the head where the wires enter
Service entrance conductors: new cable if the insulation was torn or stretched
Meter base: replacing a cracked or pulled-away meter can, which often requires a permit and inspection
Panel: checking for water intrusion, arcing damage, or loose connections caused by the pull
Grounding: verifying the ground and bonding are intact, which is where storm damage is most often overlooked

Insurance: it's usually covered, and documentation is everything

Standard homeowners policies typically cover sudden, accidental storm damage to the electrical service equipment attached to your home. We aren't insurance adjusters and every policy is different — but we work these claims constantly, and the homeowners who get paid quickly all do the same things:

Photograph everything before anything is touched. Wide shots and close-ups, the fallen limb, the damaged mast, the disconnected meter.
Open the claim the same day. Storm events generate a wave of claims; being early matters.
Get a written, itemized estimate from a licensed contractor. Adjusters approve line items, not verbal descriptions.
Keep the emergency invoice. Most policies cover reasonable emergency repairs to prevent further damage.
Don't let the temporary fix become permanent. If it isn't brought back to code, you can have trouble later — on the next claim or at resale.

We welcome insurance claims and will document the job the way an adjuster needs to see it.

Why "any handyman with a ladder" is the wrong call here

Service entrance work is permitted, inspected work tied directly to the utility's reconnect. Done wrong, you fail inspection, the power stays off longer, and you've paid twice. LiveWire is licensed in Texas (#53366) and Arkansas (#M-9844), carries insurance, pulls the permits, and handles the inspection and reconnect coordination so you're not the one on hold with three different offices.

How fast can you get power back?

When the weather has passed and the site is safe, a straightforward mast-and-meter repair is often a same-day job, with reconnect following inspection. We run 24/7 emergency service for exactly this reason — the after-hours emergency call is $249, and holiday service is quoted separately.

Storm damage? Call now.

Licensed, insured, and available 24/7 across Texarkana, Nash, Wake Village, New Boston, Ashdown and Hope. Insurance claims welcome.

Call (903) 293-5623