Power outages remind people of the convenience of modern electricity. Without it, much of what you plan to accomplish must be set aside. There’s no internet, TV, lights, air conditioning, or central heat. You have to resort to using your garage’s emergency cord if you want to back the car out. And there’s the issue of how long before your food spoils without a working fridge.
Beyond all this, you have to worry about keeping yourself safe. While outages lasting 30 minutes or less usually aren’t a big deal, extended disruptions can be. Regardless of how many power outages you’ve survived in the past, it helps to brush up on your safety skills. Let’s look at five abilities that will increase your chances of escaping harm.
1. Learn How to Prepare an Emergency Kit
An emergency kit is more than a stash of bagged popcorn with a five-year shelf life. While non-perishable, high-calorie food can be a part of your go-to stash, you’ll need to think beyond potential hunger pains. It’s a skill to be able to anticipate what supplies will help you function without electricity.
First, how will you navigate safely when it’s dark? Not only will it be difficult to see inside your home, but you may need to go outside at night. You may also need to get into your garage, which will be pitch black unless you can open a door. During inclement weather, opening exterior doors may not be such a great idea.
Including an LED flashlight in your kit means you’ll have a device bright enough to light up your surroundings. Your emergency flashlight doesn’t have to be big or require frequent battery checks, either. Get a compact, portable rechargeable one so it’s easier to accommodate your needs. Besides flashlights, throw in first-aid supplies, non-perishable water, a manual can opener, a power bank, and a battery-powered radio. Include blankets and supplies for your pets.
2. Understand Generator Safety
You may already have a generator in your garage, ready to go in case a power outage happens. While generators can keep your food fresh and allow you to still use plug-in devices, generators can compromise your safety. When used improperly, carbon monoxide can build up in your home.
Carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms resemble the flu. You’ll probably notice a headache and dizziness first, followed by chest and stomach pain. You may also feel disoriented, confused, and experience vomiting. Carbon monoxide poisoning can render you unconscious and result in death.
What makes carbon monoxide buildup so dangerous is that you can’t detect it since the gas is odorless. Only carbon monoxide detectors can alert you to unhealthy levels. If you’re going to use a generator, understand proper use. This means keeping it running outside and at least 20 feet away from windows. Don’t run your generator from your garage, and it should be at least 20 feet from vents or doors.
3. Know How to Shut Down Appliances
You don’t normally think about shutting down appliances. It’s because you want them to run continuously or on demand. But power outages can produce surges when the electricity goes out and comes back on, even if it’s brief. It’s these surges that can damage your appliances, including internet modems and routers.
Now, you might be thinking, why not just plug everything into surge protectors? This is a good line of defense, but not 100% foolproof. Say you have an older surge protector you’ve forgotten to replace. Maybe you haven’t tested your surge protectors recently.
It’s plausible your appliances aren’t protected. Better to know how to turn them all off as soon as an outage happens. If finding a manual or a YouTube video is too complex, learn where you can shut down each appliance’s power source. For some, this may mean simply unplugging the cord. For others, like a furnace, you may have a switch near the appliance or a switch on your breaker box.
4. Find Out How to Shut Your Main Gas Line Off
Your standard power outage probably won’t require you to shut off your home’s main gas line. In some cases, you’ll want to keep the gas on so you can heat your home using a gas fireplace. Power outages during blizzards mean your furnace is a no-go. But if your home has vented gas fireplaces, you can still operate them safely during an extended outage.
Now, power disruptions caused by downed lines and major natural disasters can be a different story. It’s not unusual for neighborhood fires to spark due to downed power lines. Hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes can also damage infrastructure. It’s this extent of damage and potential fire danger that makes shutting natural gas off imperative.
Gas lines can easily rupture and leak. Natural gas is also flammable, which could result in extensive property damage and bodily injuries. Locating your home’s main gas valve and finding out how to turn it off can prevent further harm. It’s not something you should do regularly or practice, but the skill can keep you and your property safe. But if you need to turn the gas back on, be sure to call your utility company.
5. Abide by Food Safety Practices
So, the power went out for an hour. Is the food in your fridge and freezer still safe to eat? When to throw out food after an outage is a question many people ask. On the one hand, they don’t want to waste their grocery money. On the other hand, getting food poisoning isn’t on their bucket list.
The general rule is that food will stay safe for up to four hours in the fridge. For frozen items, it’s a bit longer. Say the freezer is partially full.
You’ve got 24 hrs. Yet, if the freezer is fully stocked, your food should be OK for up to 48 hours. The caveat is you can’t open the doors.
Once you open the doors, the timeline for potential spoilage shrinks. It’s why food items like protein bars should be your go-to meals during outages. However, there are alternatives, especially in colder climates and seasons. It’s possible to keep food safe by transitioning it to coolers full of snow and ice. Stick the coolers outside if the temperature is at freezing or below.
Power Outage Safety Skills
Disruptions to the grid can happen anywhere, but there are states where they’re more likely to happen. California leads the pack, followed by Texas, Louisiana, and Maine. Being prepared means learning more than how to cope with not being able to stream your favorite series. Skills like making emergency kits and preventing food from spoiling ensure your safety regardless of how long the outage lasts.
