No water at all.... Help!

Okay
Seems we have a big problem...
Had a few thunderstorms go through our area last night.. power was off for at least 3-1/2 hours. When the power finally came back on, we had no water coming from the faucets, couldn't flush the toilet, etc.
I spent all of 3 hours downstairs in the basement trying to mess with the pump itself.. (my husband wasn't home - truckdriver - and isn't mechanically inclined anyway).. The pressure gauge is reading 0 psi . I have tried flipping the circuit breakers SEVERAL times .. nothing. I took the top of the mechanicals where the pressure switch should be.. it doesn't move. When the breaker is on, you can hear the pump going but there is evidently no pressure.. wondering if the well has to be primed again or ? Can't get it to work /build pressure for water period. Husband came home, tried all kinds of interesting things.. still nothing. Any ideas? I can't live here without water !! sooo frustrating.. Do we need a new pump? or are we both dumb as doorknobs when it comes to this kind of thing? ) Any advice would help.. thank you.

Do you have a pump in your house or, is it a submersible down in the well?

Yes the pump is in the basement.. not submersed.

The pump probably needs to be primed...course, it takes water to do that! Don't run the pump any more until it is primed, or you'll burn it out. If you check the pump section, and use the search function, you can find some instructions on how to prime a jet pump. To lose the prime while the power was off means you have a leak...maybe the check valve, but it could be anywhere. Think of a soda straw that you put your finger over then pull out of the glass. As long as you don't remove your finger, it will hold the water.

How to prime a shallow well pump:
Get one gallon of drinking water, a roll of teflon tape and a pipe wrench or adjustable wrench to loosen and tighten the largest plug (3/4" usually) on top of the pump head.
With the pump unplugged or turned off, and the water pressure completely drained down, check the pressure of the pressure tank with a tire gauge. It should read two psi below your pump cut-on pressure (i.e. 18 psi for a pump set at 20-40 psi cut-on/cut-off for instance). If it needs more pressure, add air with a bicycle pump or portable air tank or compressor. If water comes out of your air valve, you need to replace the tank.
1. Wrap 2-3 flat wraps of teflon tape clockwise only on the largest plug threads as the end of the plug faces you.
2. Fill the pump head with water, plug in or turn on the pump power, and quickly hand-tighten the plug back into the pump head. Water and air will bubble out as you do, but that is normal. Keep hand-tightening the plug until you can't, and then listen to the pitch of the pump and watch the gauge.
3. If the pump picks up prime, tighten the plug with the wrench. Test the pump again after it builds to cut-off.
Repeat the process until the pump picks up prime. If it doesn't after a few attempts, as previously suggested, check and clean or replace the check valve near the pump on the suction (well) side of the pump.
Good Luck!
Mike

Most jet pumps do not have a check valve, they have a foot valve in the well at the bottom of the drop pipe. That is a check valve but it's called the foot valve; I don't know why. lol There shouldn't be a check valve above ground before the pump. If tehre is, it usually would have been installed because of a water leak causing a loss of prime in the past. The leak should be repaired. And that leak isn't a water leak, it is an air suction leak unless the pump is a two line deep well jet pump. If it is a single line shallow well jet pump, there is only one line from the well.

Most jet pumps will require more than one gallon of water to prime them. If there is a leak in the plumbing back from the pump to the foot valve, or it is leaking, then you must pull the drop pipe out of the well and replace the foot valve and then check for other leaks. The best way is to use air pressure and a pressure gauge and watch the gauge for 10-15 minutes that 50 lbs pressure holds steady. IF the line coming from the well is PE pipe, and the pump ran dry and got hot, check and tighten the hose clamps, that's a prime spot for a suction leak. IF the pump got hot, that may have ruined the impeller and it or the pump will have to be replaced.

Thank you for all your advice.. we're trying to work the problem with advice given... if not, we'll be showering, etc. at a friends house until the end of time...
LOL
thanks again.. )

Gary is a pro I believe. I'm not, but my way has worked for me for more than 30 years. (I never know why "my way" works.) LOL