Disaster Preparedness: Power Outage While most of the news about disasters is about big crises like hurricanes, wildfires, or even biological or nuclear disasters, there are other disaster preparedness topics that need just as much attention, if not more. A power outage, or a blackout is one such topic, because it happens much more often than the sensationalized forces of nature, and because it can be just as harmful if people are not prepared. Thankfully, it is relatively simple and inexpensive to prepare for blackouts, and it is something that happens so often, everyone can and should be prepared for them. Power outages can happen for any number of reasons: other disasters, like hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and terrible storms can become much more dangerous when they cut out the power in areas that range from a neighborhood to a whole cluster of states. The largest blackout in the United States happened just six years ago, and over 55 million people were left without power in the northeast. This blackout wasn’t even caused by a massive storm system or an earthquake. It was merely malfunctioning equipment that caused the most widespread blackout in U.S. history. Therefore, even if people don’t live in areas known for disasters, it is still entirely possible that their areas could be without power anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. As stated, blackouts can be caused by a number of incidents, including natural disasters, faults at power stations or along power lines, overloading the amount of electricity in an area, and sometimes, it’s even done on purpose in order to preserve energy. Often, power outages will only last for an hour or two. One of the most dangerous parts of blackouts is the fact that they can cause so much unprecedented damage and create new dangers. For example, cordless phones will not work during a power outage, so calling for help in the case of an emergency could become difficult. Elementary necessities like water could be in scarce supply as well, depending on how widespread the blackout is. But since they are unpredictable and can be damaging, it is best to be prepared. As always, the first step for being prepared for any emergency is to know what is going on and to make sure that each person in the household understands what to do in the case of an emergency. Have meeting places inside and outside the home, as well as another place in the neighborhood just in case. Make sure that children know what to do in case of emergencies at school, and be sure to inform any caregivers and babysitters about the family’s plan. Next, it’s time to prepare a kit in the case of an extended blackout. Luckily, standard emergency kits will have most of the supplies needed to live securely during a power outage. One can either buy such a kit, or buy the supplies separately, though the latter is time-consuming. Items such as nonperishable food, water, first aid kits, shelter, emergency tools, and flashlights come in any good emergency kit. Also include matches in case flashlights are not an option, a tent and emergency blankets and ponchos, and toiletries such as toothbrushes, tissues, soap, and dust masks, among other things. Finally, it is also important to have items that are not included in some emergency kits like extra batteries, emergency clothing, and it might be a good idea to include a hand crank radio in the supplies, just in case the phones are out. The very last thing to remember is anything of personal worth, like important family documents, tax papers, birth and marriage certificates; as well as any medication that is important. If someone in the household is on some sort of electricity-powered life support, make sure that the power company knows it so they can take extra precautions, and make sure that there is some way to power the system without electricity. Besides having emergency kits with enough food and water for each person in the household for at least three days, it is also recommended that each household keep plastic containers filled with water in the freezer. This way, when the power goes out, one merely has to take the containers from the freezer and place them in the refrigerator (or kept in the freezer, as necessary) to give the food in there extra life. If having extra batteries
around is expensive or cumbersome, this burden can be avoided through hand crank or shakable flashlights, which will power themselves with little help from their handler. After the emergency kits are taken care of and any other precautions have been dealt with, the last piece of vital information is knowing what to do when the power actually goes out. Even in short-term outages, make sure to unplug or turn off all appliances to reduce the risk of a surge when the power does come back on. Power surges have been known to blow out light bulbs and even ruin computers if they are not protected. Just leave one lamp or light plugged in and switched on so that it can alert everyone when the power comes back on. Most sources also recommend that no one use candles, since they can be a serious fire hazard even in the best of circumstances. If candles are necessary, however, be sure to keep them away from any children, flammable materials, or drafts in the house. And never leave candles unattended. Finally, in extended outages, it’s important to remember a few details. First, ATMs will likely not be working during a blackout, so it’s important to have cash on hand since most places won’t accept credit cards during a power outage. Gas pumps will not be working either, so try not to have the car’s gas too low at any time. Most sources recommend keeping a half tank of gas in the car at all times just in case of any emergency. Little things, like knowing how to manually open the garage door, or having a high quality surge protector to protect important data on the computer, are also important to remember. Keep these small details in mind as well as the other, more vital details, and people won’t have to be caught unawares by a power outage. As long as people keep themselves prepared for emergencies such as power outages by keeping a kit handy, knowing a plan, and listening for any news of disasters, then an emergency does not necessarily have to be a tragedy.