Power Outage Safety

5/18/2020 (Permalink)

Sudden power outages are frustrating, especially in this day and age with our reliance on technology and electricity. For prolonged outages, you can take steps to be prepared to minimize loss and keep your family members comfortable.

Advance Preparations

What are some things you can do now to be prepared in case of a power outage or other emergency situation?

• Assemble an emergency preparedness kit - the American Red Cross offers these kits for supplying a Survival Kit
• Create a Household Evacuation Plan
• Stay informed about your community's risk and response plan

Protect Your Family

• Keep coolers on hand to help protect food from spoiling - surround your food with ice - use a digital thermometer to check internal temperatures to ensure food is cold enough to use safely
• Make sure you have access to NOAA broadcasts for information
• Keep your gas tank at least half full

Protect Your Pets

• Include supplies for your pets in your emergency preparedness kit
• Make sure your pets are included in your evacuation plan

Protect Your Home

• Consider purchasing a generator to power critical equipment during a power outage - make sure it's rated for the power you think you'll need and that you know how to operate it safely
• If you have a generator, be sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors/alarms in central locations on every level in your house 

During a Power Outage

Stay Safe Indoors

• Use flashlights instead of candles
• Eliminate unnecessary travel and movement, keep things together
• If you use a generator, make sure you understand the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning and how to use your generator safely
• Do NOT use gas stoves to heat your house during a power outage

Food Safety

• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible (an unopened refrigerator door can keep food cold for about 4 hours - a full freezer will keep temperature for about 48 hours if the doors remain closed)
• Use perishable foods first from the refrigerator, then the freezer, finally saving your canned and nonperishable goods for prolonged outages

Electrical Equipment

• Turn off and unplug unnecessary electrical equipment
• Turn off and disconnect any unused appliances or electrical equipment you were using before the outage (when power comes back on surges or spikes can damage equipment)
• Leave one light turned on so you know when the power has been restored

After a Power Outage

• Throw out any unsafe food - when in doubt, throw it out
• Check on your neighbors (during and after an outage - help those who may need additional help during this time)
• Call SERVPRO of Benton, Jasper, Newton & Southern Lake Counties at 219-779-7577 if you have any damage that needs to be mitigated due to the power outage, especially if the outage was due to a storm