The Biggest Mistakes You Can Make in a Blackout

Number Nine

The main culprit of almost every breakfast and lunch pack, bread is a fiber rich food and also contains proteins and micronutrients giving our bodies the fuel we need for our daily activities. You definitely want to have a body fueling food at home.

Number Ten

Diapers and sanitary pads tend to disappear at the sight of a crisis. These are very important supplies that need to be readily available in the home since a very important percentage of the world’s population require these products; women and children being the percentage in question of course. However, diapers also come in handy for some senior adults as they advance in age. Make sure to stock up enough diapers and sanitary pads.

There are so many supplies that we need to stockpile. The supplies mentioned in this chapter are just a few important ones. In Venezuela, people had to queue all night long hoping to find these supplies at the stores very early the next morning. Sometimes they got robbed while queuing and other times they went home with empty hands after queuing for days because these items were just not available. So the next time you go shopping, remember to buy the right quantity of the right supplies.

Electricity is a basic life necessity. Many of life’s processes are powered by electricity. Food and water require electricity to remain intact. Electricity has been used over the years to pump water, store food and medications, generate heat, generate cold, make certain devices work and illuminate spaces. However, heavy rains, thunderstorms, hurricanes etc. tend to interrupt electricity functions especially when they result in a blackout. Blackouts can last for few minutes, sometimes hours, and other times for days. A power outage is an unpredictable event, which means we must be prepared for such. Knowing what not to do and what to do in a blackout is essential to survive one. Most people make mistakes that could cost them their life in a blackout. Some of the frequent mistakes people make in a blackout putting their health, and therefore their life, at risk are:

1. Emergency Kit

Most people do not have an emergency kit in their homes in case of a disaster. In a blackout, accidents are bound to happen; there could be cuts or scrapes. An emergency kit will come in handy. Your emergency kit should contain certain over the counter medications that can be useful in a disaster, such as acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, and oral rehydration solution. Other medications such as medications for chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, Asthma etc. must be readily available in your emergency kit if you have family members suffering from these illnesses. Other things you should have in your kit are a first aid kit, flash lights, extra batteries, perishable foods, extra water, and blankets.

2. A Backup Oxygen Tank

Administering oxygen to sick people at home has been made easy with the help of oxygen concentrators. Oxygen concentrators are used in patients who suffer from breathing difficulty, such as in Asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), lung cancer, COVID 19 etc. Oxygen concentrators function by pulling the air around us and filtering the nitrogen content before administering it to the patient. The downside however is that they run on electricity, which means in the case of a power outage, the patient will not receive oxygen and this could lead to complications and death. Having a backup oxygen tank is necessary to avoid depriving patients of oxygen as a result of a blackout. Oxygen tanks administer liquid oxygen to the patient manually without the use of electricity and so they are the best thing that can happen to an oxygen-dependent patient in a blackout.

3. A Backup Generator

In the US and many other countries, most patients and the elderly are no longer being hospitalized for long periods or sent to nursing homes for care, as studies have shown that they thrive better around family members. Most of these patients require long term treatments through medical devices that obviously need to be plugged in to electricity. Since these devices are now portable and can be installed in the homes of patients, they receive their treatments at home. Some of these devices are CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), BiPAP (bi-level positive airway pressure), dialysis devices, power wheel chair, electric beds, oxygen concentrators etc. In a blackout, these devices shut down and can no longer function which is a very good reason to have a backup generator at home. With a backup generator, even in the event of a power outage, these medical devices can still work.

4. Charcoal Grills and Stoves

In winter, a power outage can lead to very low temperature which is very uncomfortable. In order to heat their homes, some people use charcoal grills or stoves. This is a very dangerous practice as these equipments release carbon monoxides into your living space. Carbon monoxide poisoning (CMP) can lead to tissue damage and death. When a large amount of carbon monoxide is inhaled, it enters into the bloodstream and displaces oxygen, meaning our body gets blood and carbon monoxide but not oxygen, which of course is deadly. And because carbon monoxide is an odorless gas, it is difficult to detect its presence in your home. CMP can cause tension headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion etc. Beware of these symptoms.

5. Downed Wires

If you are outside your home during a power outage, avoid touching any and all downed wires as these can still have live energy in them leading to electrical injuries. Electrical injuries will vary based on the path of the electric current. Having contact with a live downed wire can cause burns, respiratory arrest, cardiac damage, brain injuries, and death. Make sure to avoid any downed wire in a blackout.