Recent massive storms across the United States have caused millions of homes to go dark. While the vast power outages make headlines and lead the TV news coverage, power outages are quite common. In a recent year 3,571 outages were reported and the average U.S. homeowner suffered on average 5 hours of outages. For any homeowner, regardless of location, the question now is not IF the power will go off, but for how long and how frequently? While we may need to wait for the power to switch back on there are steps we should take to minimize the difficulty of our circumstances.
Determine the cause of the power loss, is it only your home or small neighborhood affected? If the outage is limited to your house check of circuit breakers, wiring and other possible culprits. Call in the outage to your local power company. Do not assume somebody else already has. Most small, localized outages are easily restored.
Contact your family members to determine how widespread an outage may be. Your emergency plan should already provide out-of-state contacts for communication, as landline and cell phone communication becomes strained when the lights go out.
Unplug electrical appliances and equipment to provide surge protection when the power is restored. Sensitive electronics like computers should already be protected. But take the step of unplugging everything rather than risk your equipment being fried.
Conserve power on all battery-operated devices given you do not know how quickly power may be restored. This would include putting your phone on low-power mode, turning off power consuming apps or alternatively keep devices turned off when not in use. Additionally, if temperatures are cold decide which one room you want to keep warm and keep your electronic devices in that room. See CEN’s blog Keeping Warm During Power Outages. Keep your freezer and refrigerator closed as much as possible.
Fill all available containers with water as soon as the power goes out. You never know if the power outage will affect water delivery, or if the power outage may cause water to become contaminated. Fill up bathtubs, sinks and every pot and pan available, even if you don’t drink the water, you’re able to utilize the water for toilet flushing, if needed. Don’t forget the water that’s in your water heater which may also be used as needed.
Pipes bursting is a common problem. Allow a little trickle of water to flow through your faucet which should keep the pipes from totally freezing up. Keep in mind pipes in unheated crawl spaces or outside walls are most likely to freeze first.
Safety is critical. Never run generators indoors or in a garage or leave candles unattended. Read CEN’s Blog on Emergency Candles.
Increase your communications power. For those of us that have landlines the phone company puts a small amount of current through the phone line powering telephone systems. Instructables provide instructions on how to charge cell phones and other items. And, don’t forget your car battery will also charge a number of items. Newer vehicles have USB ports which charge phones and computers. You can start your car, after it’s taken out of the garage, to recharge the battery if you’re continuously using some power.
Evacuation Plan. Decide when you may need to leave your home. Older individuals and young children are more vulnerable to cold than others. Many of us will want to continue to camp out in our home but we need to come to grips with the realities. During a long power outage your situation will be deteriorating over time. We need to face the realities and determine when we need to move on to other shelter options.
Check your neighbors. Those relationships you have been cultivating for years will now become vital to their survival, and maybe yours. To restore our lives to normal more quickly keep a close eye on how neighbors around you are doing, particularly the elderly or those that may have special needs. This is an opportunity where you would be able to demonstrate the love of Christ as you reach out and assist them.
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind”.
2 Timothy 1:7
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