A number of circumstances can cause power interruptions, and damage from severe storms can cause outages that last days. When a power outage occurs during hot weather, take steps to maintain comfort until power is restored.
If power to your home is out for a prolonged period, know and understand important safety precautions and steps to cope with heat until power is restored:
- Remember to call your electric utility immediately to report the outage.
- Dress in loose, lightweight clothing, and stay on the coolest, lowest level of your home.
Use natural ventilation to cool homes, and consider purchasing battery-powered fans. - Drink plenty of water, and avoid heavy meals as well as caffeinated and alcoholic drinks.
- Keep refrigerator or freezer doors closed. A freezer that is half full or full can keep foods frozen 24 to 48 hours. Foods should stay safe in an unopened refrigerator up to four hours. If an outage lasts longer than four hours, remove and pack meat, milk and other dairy products in a cooler with ice.
Use safe alternative food preparations. A barbecue grill is an excellent way to prepare food, but it should never be used indoors. Always grill outside. - Check on friends and relatives—especially children, seniors, and those with medical conditions or disabilities. These people may need to seek emergency cooling shelters.
- Keep a first-aid kit in your home and one in your car. Make sure that it includes scissors, tweezers, safety pins, aspirin, eyewash, and rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.
- Close all drapes and blinds on the sunny side of your residence.
- Take your family and pets to a cool, basement location if you have one. Also consider going to an air-conditioned public place during warmer daytime hours.
During an outage, the Safe Electricity program recommends turning off electrical appliances and unplugging major equipment—including air conditioning units, computers, and televisions. This will help protect equipment that could be damaged by electrical surges and prevent circuit overloads when power is restored. Leave one light on to indicate that power has been restored. Wait a few minutes then turn on other appliances and equipment one at a time.
If you use a standby generator, make sure a transfer safety switch is used or connect the appliance(s) directly to the generator output through an isolated circuit before you operate it. This prevents electricity from traveling back through the power lines, which is known as “back feed.” Back feed creates danger for anyone near lines, particularly crews working to restore power.
Visit SafeElectricity.org for more storm preparation and recovery information.
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