Strong storms and natural disasters can create a variety of electrical hazards in and around your house. Hazards can be caused by lightning, wind, or ice storms bringing down branches on power lines or floods around live electricity.
Preparing for a Power Outage
- Keep a first aid kit handy with a list of your family’s prescription medicine
- If any of your family members have special needs, keep a duplicate copy of their supplies
- Have a battery-operated tv or radio to get news alerts
- Keep a supply of drinking water & batteries to power your flashlights
- Have a disaster preparedness plan ready
- Keep important phone numbers near your phone (local fire department, paramedics, police, hospital, doctor, relatives, neighbors, sitters & friends)
- Keep flashlights in different locations
- Install surge protectors to keep valuable electronics and appliances safe in case of power surges
During a Power Outage
- Stay calm and make sure everyone in the family knows what to do
- Check power outage map online
- Report the outage to your power company
- Stay inside and away from downed power lines
- Don’t go into the water in a flooded basement unless you’re sure there is no danger from electricity in the water if the power comes back on
- Turn off major appliances until one minute after the power comes on
Terms Used to Describe Winter Storms Severity:
- Winter Storm Watch: Severe winter weather may affect the surrounding area within the next 36 to 48 hours.
- Winter Storm Warning: Severe winter weather conditions are on the way or will begin within 24 hours. Take cover and be prepared.
- Blizzard Warning: Blinding snow and dangerous wind chills are expected for several hours. Sustained winds of 35 mph are expected to sweep the area. A traveler’s advisory is issued if driving conditions are expected to be dangerous or slow moving.
Winter storms in our area can involve a lot of ice and snow. A properly maintained home will survive winter storms without much difficulty. A common problem to watch out for however, is a power outage due to fallen branches or ice on power lines. You can prepare for this situation by installing a standby power generator. A permanently installed power generator will automatically start working when the power goes out.
