Rochester, Washington, looking west from the center of down-town. Rochester, Washington, looking east from the center of down-town. NOTE: This website is undergoing many changes - its size has gotten way too large to easily manage. If you encounter a link that no longer works it may be that I have accidentally removed the page/picture the link points to.
Without seeing the extent of the damage, it's impossible to say if the damage might cause a short/start a fire, or pose a shock hazard, or both; you could be seriously injured or killed. There are suggestions to tape the wire with electrical tape. This can be done, but be extremely careful.
The most common example: the screw that holds the wire onto the terminal might be loose. When power flows through that wire, some of the energy shoots a spark toward the metal receptacle box or another metal part. Arcing can cause a fire, but it more often overheats the electrical outlet.