A power outage can happen without any warning due to calamities, technical breakdowns, or for maintenance purposes. They can interfere with daily activities, present safety concerns, and impact comfort and communication.
It is crucial to be ready and to know what to do in the case of a power failure to reduce the impact that the power loss has. This article offers useful information to facilitate proper action in case of a blackout and reduce the potentially dangerous consequences.
1. Create an Emergency Plan
Some of the most important actions that individuals and families should take during emergencies include creating an emergency kit, which should help manage the first effects of a power outage and meet basic needs. You should put in your kit flashlights, spare batteries, a battery or hand-cranked radio, food that does not spoil, bottles of water, first aid kits, medicines needed, safety tools, and heavy coats. It would be useful if these items were easily accessible as they will assist you while finding your way in the first few hours of a power failure.
2. Develop a Communication Plan
Practicing communication is especially important when there is a blackout. Create a procedure to communicate with individuals in an emergency, including members of your family or friends as well as appropriate residential electrician or organizations. Make certain that all relatives understand what is to be done and who to contact in case of any problem. Ensure your mobile phone is well charged, perhaps you should carry another separate source of power like a charger in case your handphone battery gets exhausted. Battery-operated or hand-cranked radios may give information and directions including when to evacuate or shelter.
3. Safeguard Your Home and Appliances
This can be done to prevent damage, shortening of appliances, and/ or causing a fire outbreak in the house during an electricity power surge. Keep off delicate equipment to prevent damages due to spikes every time there is a power-up. Get power strips/surge protectors for your basic appliances. If you must have a home generator installation, use it according to the manufacturer’s specific instructions on usage and never use it in a closed space as this generates carbon monoxide fumes which will suffocate you.
4. Maintain Food Safety
These interruptions can be detrimental to nourishment stability because they can influence food hygiene. To prevent it, avoid opening the doors of the refrigerator and freezer frequently as this lets warm air enter in.
No food should be stored open in a refrigerator because it will stay cold for about four hours if it is not opened over and over again, while a full freezer will maintain its temperature for the next 48 hours. If the power outage is going to take a long time it is safe to use coolers with ice and when the power is restored, do not consume the food that was left in the refrigerator and may be spoiled.
5. Stay Warm and Safe
It often happens that people need to stay warm during the cold period of the year, preferably in winter. Use numerous warm clothes, blankets, and heaters, and do not use fire, or gas heaters, for they can be fatal. Use portable heaters that can be safely used indoors instead of traditional heating methods such as the use of fires. Where required, it will be safe to seek assistance from close friends or families or to go to a haven or an emergency shelter to be protected and warm.
