Action to take prior, during and after an electrical power outage

  I don't know, and I am unable to think of anyone I know that has not experienced a power

Stay calm like this mom, and the kids will be as well. It's not scary when
a flashlight is available, with a good book.

interruption, or as we all call them an "outage". How many of us give much thought to disaster recovery after an electricity blackout, after all it is a disaster. It's more than merely knowing where the main circuit breaker is, it's all about disaster recovery procedures. This blog is written to address an event lasting 24 hours or longer, we have all experienced outages up to 10 hours, 2-3 days is a more intense experience. To prepare prior to an interruption here are tasks we can complete well before a blackout occurs:
  1) Make certain everything that's suppose to be in your emergency kits are in there, check the condition of battery's, first aid kit, lighting, and be sure the cash that was in there still is.
  2) Have the most modern state of the art charging systems for your small electronic items, be sure you have a reliable source of power to charge these items, Cell phone, lap top (really), lights, and heat sources. Your vehicle can be used to charge equipment, however do not run the car or truck in the closed garage.
  3) Pre-charge all cell phones and battery operated devices, every night prior to going to bed, every night.
  4) Everyone needs to know how to operate the big garage door with out electricity, this is extremely important as it may be your only route of escape.
  5) Place ice packs in your freezer, leave them there all year long, two inch thick one and two gallon containers are available, I use two of them in mine. They will help maintain the freezer temperature, and the water can be consumed after it melts.
  6) Keep your gas tanks full, if you have to evacuated and empty tank could be a disaster. Don't leave it running especially in a garage, during the winter use a "tank heater" especially when parked outdoors.
  7) Make sure to keep up with the local procedures and emergency plans established by the local government agency's dealing with emergency planning. Normally on the local government's web site, or pay a visit to their main office, you will leave with a bunch of information.
  8)  Establish an emergency plan, be certain all potentially affected people have input and are present while it is being developed. Practice your plan, make sure everyone knows where their kits are, what to do if they are home alone, who to call, and where to go.
  9)  Place a photo of the family with the family pet, this will enable responders to associate you and your pet with faces and names.

No, No, No pose with your PET, not PEST!

  10) Prescription medication, have your entire supply accessible if it is lost contact your medical suppliers as soon as possible for a replacement.
  11) In the emergency plan have an out of area telephone contact, during emergency's the local lines will be totally jammed up. When a "busy" signal is heard most people (human nature) hang up and immediately try to make the call again. It complicates things by adding more callers locally, making the problem even worse, the out of area lines will not be impacted (unless everyone takes my advice, they won't). Read more on communications here.

  OK, that prepares you to an extent, as you go a long with your preparation more issues will come up that will have to be resolved. That's good, the purpose of any list is to start people thinking, and we do.
  So, what should we do and worry about during the event? I have listed below some tasks to pay attention to, again it's not a complete list, it's a living list:
  1)  Don't waste your battery's, scaring someone is not worth being without emergency lights, unless it's a crank light, have the perpetrator turn the crank, he will learn. Candles are not without their issues either, fire is always a concern, be extremely careful with candles, put them out prior to retiring for the night.
  2)  Don't open and close the refrigerator and freezer, the ice packs we placed in the freezer can not keep up with it, and the cold air in the fridge will spill out, save the coolness.
  3) If it is summertime, stay cool, wear light clothing, not dark colors or heavy fabric, drink lots of water (my battle cry), get in the shade and stay there, move downstairs if you have one. If you go into a basement or other enclosed areas bring your CO2 detector with you, it's possible for poisonious gases to accumulate there.
  4) If it is cold outside wear warm clothing, establish warmth by a wood burning vented stove, or a wood or pellet burner that can be operated on a car battery. go to another location, neighbor, relative, or emergency shelter.
  5) Turn off all electrical devices, TV, audio, lights, and heaters are a few, have surge protectors if you don't have them. Surges can and will destroy computers.
  6) Generators are affordable now, consider purchasing one, if there is a disabled person depending on disability equipment it is a must have. An electrical engineer can assist you in choosing a generator and making certain it is installed correctly and it will work when it has to. Have the electric terminations done by a professional, your local utility will have to make the final connections to your main circuit breaker box.

A generator of about this size is most likely what we will end up with.

  7) Do not use the generator, unvented heater, bar-b-que or any internal combustion equipment in doors, Turn off the gas supply, it will take a special tool, if you smell gas during the event, evacuate and don't go back.
  8) Turn off the water supply, especially if you are on a well, a surge may destroy your 212 volt pump motor.
  9) If flooding is part of the emergency, do not use the flood water or your water well for anything, do not use it until the event ends and the well has been tested.
   OK, that's during the event, it's common sense, stay calm and think everything will be alright. Most outages last for a few hours, some extend wide areas and last for weeks. It is not difficult to prepare for a power outage, it is harder to not over prepare which is in itself tough to do. One plan includes having a supply of food and water on hand for 3 days, another 14 days. I prefer 7 days of supplies in this situation, the food in my pantry will keep us supplied for about a week. I do not rely on the food in the fridge after the first two days, food has the tendicy to go south fast in warm humid conditions. If any of your food has touched flood water or been in contact with fire toss it in the trash, we don't need to have severe intestinal distress in this situation. So how do we reclaim our homes? Not to fear I have conjured up a list for that as well:
  1) Throw food away that has been exposed to temperatures over 40 degrees F for 2 or more hours, if you don't think it's OK it's not, trust your instincts. Touch, look, feel and smell, if any register as being odd, do not eat the food.
  2) Leave the food in the freezer until you need it, if it does not go below 40 degrees F and has ice crystals formed on it, refreeze it, it's OK to consume. Non-fat milk can be frozen in air tight containers with no lasting affects.
  3) Look at your perscription medications, spoiled or otherwise compromised supplies must be discarded, then contact your medical supplier.
  4)  Stand to the side of the electrical box prior to making sure all of the circuit breakers are in the OFF position prior to engaging the main circuit breaker to restore your power. If you are in dought, call your provider, they love doing this for you.
  5) Turn the gas back on, if you smell gas call the utility supplier and shut the valve, your house could blow up.

  6) Turn the water on, after making sure all of the faucets are off prior to turning it on, open the faucet furthest away from the shutoff valve to purge the air from the line.
  7) Re-supply your emergency kits, you will use some of the supplies. Go over your preparation plans and re-establish your pre-outage position of being prepared for the next outage.
  Thanks for reading, we all have or will experience this event, pre-planning reduces stress and adds confidence to people, good planning and practice are well worth the time, effort and expense.

jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com