Eaton : Blackout Tracker Annual Report Shows 17.9 Million People Affected by More Than 3,800 Power Outages in 2016

'The Blackout Tracker Annual Report shows how prevalent and dangerous power outages can be across the country, causing widespread damage and costing businesses millions,' said Mike DeCamp, senior marketing communications manager, Power Quality Division, Eaton. 'As the data illustrates, the threat of power issues is ever-present, making it more important than ever to have a disaster recovery plan that includes reliable power protection.'

Blackout Tracker Annual Report data is based on a full year of reported power outages across the U.S. and is organized into three sections: an introduction to power outages and the impact of downtime, an overview of national power outage data, and power outage data by state. Eaton's Blackout Tracker report features 'top' outage lists, including the most significant reported outages, largest data center outages and the most unusual causes for outages.

Among the most unusual causes of power outages in 2016:

• Sanford, Florida: On March 16, a carjacking gone wrong caused a driver to crash into a power pole and resulted in an outage for local residents.
• New Britain, Connecticut: On April 21, a crane fell over onto power lines - causing a blackout to 1,444 people.
• Chicago, Illinois: On August 3, Firefighters responded to reports of smoke in the Gurnee suburb and were surprised to find the culprit was a lawn mower. The motored device apparently knocked over an electrical box, shorting out some wires and causing a small outage.

Eaton has tracked power outage information since February 16, 2008. Data for the report is taken from broadcast news reports, newspapers, websites (including those of newspapers and TV stations) and personal accounts.

To download the entire report and track power outages across the U.S., visit www.eaton.com/blackouttracker. To learn about Eaton's line of power quality products and services, visit www.eaton.com/powerquality.

Eaton's electrical business is a global leader with expertise in power distribution and circuit protection; backup power protection; control and automation; lighting and security; structural solutions and wiring devices; solutions for harsh and hazardous environments; and engineering services. Eaton is positioned through its global solutions to answer today's most critical electrical power management challenges.

Eaton is a power management company with 2016 sales of $19.7 billion. We provide energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more efficiently, safely and sustainably. Eaton is dedicated to improving the quality of life and the environment through the use of power management technologies and services. Eaton has approximately 95,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries. For more information, visit Eaton.com.