i have an apple tv and the light blinks continuously after an electrical outage. does this mean my apple tv has been permanently damaged or only resetting is necessary?

Hello there, Philip.

For understanding the status light on the Apple TV, the following Knowledge Base article offers up some great information on what they mean:

Apple TV: About the status light - Apple Support

Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation)

Status light	Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation) is:
Flashes quickly	Having issues. Try restarting or waking your Apple TV. If your Apple TV does not start up properly, you might need to reset the Apple TV or restore it to factory settings. See Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation): Restoring your Apple TV. If this does not resolve the issue, refer to the Service FAQ for additional assistance.

Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.

Cheers,

Pedro.