Winter storms and frigid temperatures can create a strain on local power grids or knock out electrical lines entirely for hours or even days at a time. Make sure your family is prepared in the event of a winter power outage by knowing what to do when the electricity goes out.
Here are a few tips to keep your family calm during a power outage:
- Look outside. Is it unusually dark? Then the power may be out on your street, in your neighborhood, or across a wide region. If you see streetlights, chances are the problem is with your breakers.
- Grab a flashlight.
- Check the breakers or fuses. Usually these are located in the basement, or in houses without a basement, in a supply closet or specially-designated panel. If any or all of the switches are in the "off" position, flip them back on. If a fuse appears blackened around the edges, or if the filaments are visibly broken, you will need to replace the fuse. (Always keep spare fuses on hand for easy access in the event of a power outage.) If you have no spare fuses, you'll need to run to your local hardware store or supermarket to buy some.
- Call your energy supplier if the outage appears to be regional or street-wide. If you get a busy signal, chances are they have already been informed that there is a problem, but keep trying until you get through to someone. They need to know your address to keep track of and properly address blacked out areas.
- Open every faucet so the water can trickle out. This will help to prevent frozen pipes in the event of a long energy blackout.
- Unplug your electronics to prevent damage from a power surge when the electricity comes back on.
- Gather your family into one room -- preferably one with few windows, an interior room, or a room with a fireplace or other non-electric heat source. Use doors or blankets to seal off the room from the rest of the house and prevent icy drafts.
- Light a fire in the fireplace, or fire up the wood-stove if you have one. Be sure to keep incendiary items at least 24 inches from the perimeter of the heat source, and open the flue to prevent smoke from backing up into the room. If your house is modern or air-tight, crack a window in another room to allow carbon fumes to escape.
- Dress everyone in layers, and combine sheets, clothing, or blankets to create warm covers. Snuggle up, and tell stories! Your body heat will help to keep someone else warm, and visa versa. Invite your pets on the sofa just this once. Your pets can keep you warm during a blackout.
Keep a few items on hand and easily accessible to every member of your family to help ensure their safety in the event of a power outage. Good things to have nearby are:
- Flashlights with working batteries
- Backup batteries for flashlights and radios
- Battery operated or hand-crank radio
- Fully charged cell phone and a car charger to recharge the battery when the house chargers won't work
- Battery operated LED lights or fake candles (Real candles are a fire hazard and should be used only as a last resort and with the greatest of caution during a power outage.)
- Extra drinking water, bottled, and kept in a warm place inside the home to prevent freezing.
- Spare bottles or buckets of water for flushing if your toilets depend on electrical pumps to flush
- Thermal or warm blankets
- Thermal underwear and extra clothing layers (You may have trouble finding these without lights, so keep an extra set in an easy-to-access designated space for each member of your family.)
- Extra baby formula, baby food, diapers, and wipes (Keep the wipes from freezing by wrapping them in several layers or placing them under a sofa cushion. If you have no water for days, your whole family may depend upon these wipes to keep clean.)
- Non-electronic games, books, cards, and other forms of entertainment (You could be in it for the long-haul.)
- A non-electric can opener and canned food items that will see you through until you can make it to the grocery store (If your blackout is regional, chances are your local grocery store will be affected by the power outage, as well, so it's best to be prepared to feed your family a day or two, just in case.)
- First aid supplies
