Power Outage: How To Stay Safe
Chances are good you’re looking this up in the middle of an unexpected power outage, and you need to figure out how to handle things. If this sounds like the case, there’s no need to fear. Even if you weren’t expecting to lose power right now, there are plenty of ways you can handle an unexpected power outage in your home and stay safe and comfortable throughout the process.
Usually, you’ll have your power back on in a reasonable amount of time. But while you wait, you can figure out how to best go about your life without power. Here’s a bit about what you should do during a power outage.
Staying Warm
When it comes to staying warm in the wintertime during a power outage, there are a few things you can do to keep the heat inside. One of the most important is covering your windows and doors, usually with blankets or tape with plastic, so drafts don’t come in and cool down your home.
If the power has been out for a long time and you expect it to stay out for even longer, it’s a good idea to pick one room to warm rather than trying to heat up the entire house. Once you’ve picked the room you want to try and warm, have everybody hunker down in this room to utilize body heat, blankets, and hot water bottles.
Staying Cool
Although keeping the house cool during the summer is very important, it’s not as big a safety concern as keeping your home warm during the winter.
If your power goes out during the summertime, some ways you can keep warm include staying hydrated, closing the windows and keeping the sunlight out, taking cold showers, and even wearing wet bandanas around your head or neck to stay cool.
Getting In and Out
If your power has been out for a long time, or you even just need to get in and out of your house quickly, you might realize that things are a little bit more difficult without power. If you have a smart home system that controls the locks on your doors, you’ll need to use manual controls again, and probably restart the system when the power comes back on.
If you usually go in and out through the garage door, you won’t be able to open it automatically during a power outage. In order to get in and out safely, you’ll need to pull the emergency release cord and manually lift the garage door up and down. Make sure there’s nobody standing in the way when you do this to keep things as safe as possible.
Checking Your Water
Even though you might not automatically think of this, the power going out in your home might mean the power for your municipal water treatment center is out too.
One common tip is to stock up on water by filling up the bathtub as soon as possible. This is because unsafe water can sometimes be difficult to detect after the fact. Usually, this water will look clean from the tap even if it’s contaminated. Another trick you can use is to boil water to make sure it’s clean.
Keeping Food Safe
One thing you might not think about right away is the fact that your fridge and freezer have limited cold air once the power goes out. To protect your food and keep things cold, keep your freezer and refrigerator closed at all times unless you absolutely need to grab something. Especially if you don’t know how long your power will be out for, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Protecting Your Electronics
Even though not everyone abides by this, it can be a good idea to unplug your electronics when the power is out. When the power comes back on, there may be a power surge, which can damage your electronics. This can even be a good idea for larger appliances, just in case.
Handling a Power Outage
Whether you’re currently dealing with a power outage or you simply want to stay on top of things and make sure you know what to do in the event of an outage, some of these safety tips might just come in handy.
We hope you found this blog post on What Should You Do During a Power Outage? useful. Be sure to check out our post on Hurricane Safety: Preparing Your Emergency Kit for more great tips!
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