What to Do if Your Power Goes Out

Who would have thought it?  Playing cards!  Yeah!  By candle light!

1.  Call your power company.  

2.  Dress in layers to stay warm.  Wear a knit hat and gloves. 

3.  Avoid opening your refrigerator and freezer as much as possible. Your food will stay cold for hours, if the door is left closed. 

4.  If you're cold, take a warm shower.  Your hot water heater, even if electric, will stay warm for a few hours. 

5.  Unplug some of your major appliances. When the power comes back on, a power surge could damage those appliances. 

6.  If you have a generator, do not connect it to your home's power system unless it has been properly installed and disconnects you from the main power grid when it is operating. 

7.  Check on your elderly neighbors. Make sure they are dressed appropriately warm. 

8.  If you have a regular wood stove or fireplace, you can use it for heat. Do not use kerosene heaters, BBQs, or any outdoor type heater inside. They can create dangerous gases, like carbon monoxide. 

9.  If you have to go out, drive carefully. Remember that traffic signals may be out during a power outage.

10. Flashlights over candles, they're safer.

11.  Grab a cooler from your basement or garage and fill it with ice from your freezer.  You can use this if the outage extends beyond 24 hours.


So you may not have been prepared for a power outage this time; next time....

1. Buy a flashlight the next time you see one on sale...and batteries!
2. Create an outage emergency kit inside a large cooler and include:

• a wind up radio 
• matches
• flashlight
• batteries
• candles (in case you forget the batteries)
• a book
• first aid kit
• anything else that might help your family comfortably cope