What to Do to Prepare for a Power Outage?
Reasons causing a power outage are countless. Among which, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes are most common. A power cut can last for minutes, hours, or sometimes even longer — for several days. Leaving unprepared can make you lose your head when a blackout abruptly strikes your home.
To help you survive the period without electricity more easily, this article has outlined what you can do to prepare for a power outage beforehand.
How to Prepare for a Power Outage?
Follow the 6 steps below to weather a power outage at ease.
- Store enough water
Many people underestimate the value of water in an emergency situation. In fact, having sufficient water supply attaches top importance to the basic living of people during a power outage. Think about it, it is necessary to have ample water to satisfy daily water intake to the body. In addition, water is also needed for fulfilling other demands, like cooking, bathing and cleaning clothes.
Since you cannot predict on earth how long a power outage will last, storing excessive water is always a good rule of thumb. Think about the amount of water that your whole family generally consumes every day, and multiply that by 4.
- Stock up on non-perishable food
When you hear a tornado is touching down your area, heading over immediately to the nearby supermarket or convenience store for food can never go wrong. Stockpiling food beforehand can avoid the embarrassment that you rush to the supermarket when power goes out, only to find empty shelves.
Speaking of food, the best is to stock up on non-perishable kinds since they're less prone to spoil so you can conserve them for longer. In this way, even if the power outage lasts for a couple of days, you still have something to fuel your body.
- Build an emergency supplies kit
Nobody wants to seek all over around a totally dark house for essentials when plunged into in a blackout. So, put together supplies that you can think of you'll need when the power is gone in advance to build an emergency supplies kit, and place it somewhere easily accessible, like a drawer.
The supplies may include, for instance, flashlights for every one in your family, backup batteries, basic first-aid kit, tools, car charger for charging mobile phones, rubbish bags for sanitization and so on. You can put these stuffs in a pack or a box for easier organization.
- Prepare alternative light source
Well, anyone who ever experienced a power blackout dislikes the feeling being stuck in the dark. At that time, having an alternative light source will be a big help.
You can put some candles and matches in a place that you can easily access, so that you can just get them quickly to illuminate your house when lights go out. With some candles giving off a mellow glow, you can find things you need without effort. Besides, the warm, soothing hue of candles is helpful to relieve your panic and fear under that circumstance.
- Get backup power source
When a power outage occurs, having backup power is sure to save you. Getting a portable power station, especially a high-capacity one is a great idea as it's a device working quietly and rather safe for indoor use.
When you're caught up in a power outage, it can keep your phone up and running to make you stay connected. Besides, it works with your weather radio so that you can be informed of updates of weather conditions. If you need to heat up food or cook a meal, you can run a microwave or stove with it without worries. A 2000-3000W power station can even run your fridge and TV for an extensive period.
- Have everyone stay together
Nobody knows exactly where you will be in your home right when light goes out. But if possible, keep everyone stay in one room, including your pets. Doing so is for the convenience to share each other with supplies like water, food, etc. If you get stuck in a power outage during winter months, having everyone gather in a close space can help produce heat to make your body warmer.
