Being left in the dark during a power outage can be frustrating at best. If you experience a power outage during severe weather, you may find yourself in a life threatening situation. That’s why it’s important to know what to do if you lose power. One of the best things you can do is be proactive so you’re ready no matter what the circumstances are surrounding your power outage. Here’s how to prepare for a power outage.
1. Preserve Your Food
One of the biggest challenges with power outages is keeping your perishable food safe for your family to eat. An outage for an hour or two won’t be a problem, but much longer than that and you’ll need to move your food to a cooler place. Keep an extra cooler or two on hand so that you keep your food cold. Surround it with ice to help maintain a safe temperature. If in doubt, it is a good idea to have a digital thermometer on hand so that you can check the internal temperature to be sure that it is safe.
2. Emergency Preparedness Kit
Whether you’re preparing for a power outage or any other kind of disaster, it is important to have an emergency preparedness kit on hand at all times. When preparing for a power outage you’ll want to make sure you have a radio so that you can stay up to date on outages. What else should you include in your kit? You need to make sure you have a gallon of water per person, per day. You also want to have non-perishable food on hand for your family. You should always keep a two-week supply at your home, and a three-day supply that is ready for an evacuation.
Besides food, you’ll want to have a flashlight, batteries, a first-aid kit and any necessary medication, copies of all your important documents, emergency contact information, cash, a blanket, and cell phones with chargers.
Be sure that all of your supplies fit in an easy-to-carry bag so that you can easily grab it and take it with you.
3. Have an Evacuation Plan
Should you need to evacuate your home during a power outage, you need to make sure that you know beforehand exactly how you will execute the evacuation. This means having the means to leave. Keep at least a half tank of gas in your car at all times, and make sure your car is in good working order. Sit down with your family and decide who will go where, and what you will do in various different scenarios. Physically walk through your plan so that in the even of a real emergency there will be no need to panic because you know exactly what to do. Don’t forget to include your pets in your evacuation planning!
After successfully handling a power outage, you may come find your home has been damaged from fire, flood, or other natural disasters. If this is the case, you will want to restore your home to its previous condition.
RestoreMasters founders have been dealing with disaster cleanup and restoration for over 20 years. For a restoration company you can count on, choose RestoreMasters Water Damage & Fire Restoration.
