Emergency Tips: What To Do When The Power Goes Out
In the past century or so, we’ve come to
depend on electricity for nearly all our basic needs: cooking, working,
and functioning after sundown, in general. So, when the power is down,
it can severely disrupt our daily lives and even pose a danger to our
well-being. Power outages can happen due to extreme weather conditions,
natural disasters, or problems with the electrical grid.
In these unfortunate scenarios, it’s
important to know how to keep yourself, your home, and your pets safe.
Here are a few essential tips on what to do when the power goes out.
1. Extreme temperatures -Staying warm
If the power happens to go out when it’s cold outside, your first
concern should be to save as much heat as possible in your home.
Firstly, cover all the windows and doors with blankets and put plastic
tape over them to keep out drafts and conserve the heat in your home.
The next step is choosing a “warming room”,
in which you will spend most of your time until the power comes back
on. After all, one room is much easier to keep warm than the entire
house. Choose a small room with few or no windows, as it will be the
easiest to keep warm. Have everyone in your household, including the
pets, bundle up in that room with blankets and hot water bottles. Body
heat is helpful, too.
One important warning: Do NOT use gas
ovens, grills, or heaters indoors to stay warm! You’re sealed up in a
room without proper air circulation, and doing so can cause a
potentially deadly buildup of noxious gases.
Staying cool
The risk of heat exhaustion or a heat
stroke isn’t to be taken lightly. Staying cool in hot weather is just as
important as staying warm in cold weather. The first step to take if
the power goes out in the summer is to cover the windows that directly
face the sun with curtains or blankets. Here are a few more tips:
Stay hydrated! Water is essential for the body to cool itself.
Open the windows that are in the shade to let in a breeze.
Take a cool shower or a bath. If the water coming out of the cold
tap is warm, add ice to your bath.
Cook outside on a grill instead of using the stove to keep your home
cool.
Wear a wet bandana or cloth around your neck or head, and chill it
occasionally with a magazine or a battery-powered fan.
2. Keeping food fresh
If the power is out for a long period of
time, the food in your fridge and freezer is at risk of becoming too
warm and starting to grow dangerous bacteria. Here’s what you can do to
ensure that your food stays chilled during a power outage:
According to the FDA, food needs to be kept below 40 degrees
Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) to prevent it from spoiling, so the
temperature in your refrigerator should not exceed that. Your freezer
should be at zero degrees Fahrenheit (-17.80 degrees Celsius) or below.
Make sure that there is a thermometer in your refrigerator and freezer.
This way, you can monitor the exact temperature.
If you can plan ahead, have some coolers on hand to store
refrigerated food. Freeze containers with water like gallon jugs, as
well as ice cubes and gel packs. Another option is to buy dry ice and
block ice. These will help keep the temperature in the coolers low.
Keep the doors of your refrigerator and freezer closed as much as
possible. An average refrigerator is capable of maintaining the cold
temperature for about 4 hours without power. A full freezer will hold
its temperature for about 48 hours, but only 24 hours if it is half
full.
If the food is left at temperatures above those recommended above,
throw it out. Do not rely on the food’s appearance or smell, and
certainly do not taste it to determine if it's safe. Eating food that
wasn't kept at the proper temperature could cause illness, even if it
was thoroughly cooked. Frozen food that still has ice crystals can be
refrozen or cooked, but when in doubt, it’s better not to take any
chances and dispose of it.
Keep a three-day supply of dry nonperishable food that doesn’t
require refrigeration or cooking, like canned goods and boxed milk.
Stock up on bottled water, too, just in case.
3. Water problems
When the power is out at your home, there's
also a chance that it's out at the municipal water center. This means
that you will be out of running water for some time. If you have a
bathtub, fill it to stock up on water.
The electricity outage may also render the water unsafe for you and your
pets. Even if it looks clean, do check with the local authorities
whether or not there is a boil alert in effect. If so, Diane Vukovic, a
disaster preparedness expert, advises bringing the water to a full
rolling boil for one minute. Continue boiling the water for 3 minutes,
if you live at an elevation of 6,500 feet or more.
If your home uses well water, you will not have running water until the
power is back on. One possible solution is to hook your well-pump to a
gas-powered generator. Your local equipment rental service will usually
offer these generators.
4. Frozen pipes
When the power goes out in very cold
weather, pipes can easily become frozen, and they could even burst. To
prevent it, you can leave all the cold water taps in the house on so
that they are dripping. Even this small amount of water flowing through
the pipes can prevent them from freezing solid.
However, this isn’t a good solution when running water is also a
concern. In that case, “you’ll need to completely shut off your water at
the main and drain water in the pipes. Collect it in clean buckets and
pots so you can use it later,” says Vukociv.
5. Protect your appliances
If you're expecting a power outage,
remember to unplug all your electronics and appliances: TVs, computers,
microwaves, and the like. When the power returns, there may be a power
surge, which can damage anything that is still plugged in. It may also
be a good idea to have a fully-charged power bank on hand so that you
are able to call someone in case of an emergency.