How to Prepare for a Power Outage

Posted by Jenni Barnett on Friday, October 14th, 2022 at 11:58am.

Power outages are an unpredictable (thankfully rare) challenge that most of us have experienced at least once. The degree of inconvenience you will experience during a power outage is determined by how prepared you are when it occurs. For this reason, we strongly recommend that every homeowner learn about how to prepare for a power outage, and then stay prepared at all times.

The type of preparations you’ll want to undertake to prepare for a power loss in the peak of summer will be different from one that arrives on the winds of a winter storm. Our suggestions will include helpful tips for each season.


Stock an Emergency Preparedness Kit

An emergency preparedness kit is an essential safety step for all homeowners. While the items your family will need in various potential disasters will be unique, there are essentials recommended for all homeowners.

  • Water for each person’s hydration and sanitary needs. The commonly recommended amount is 1 gallon per person per day.
  • First aid kit
  • Prescriptions and toiletries
  • One sleeping bag for each family member
  • One complete change of clothes per person, including hiking or walking shoes
  • Non-perishable food items
  • Hand-powered can opener
  • Camping mess kits, or paper and plastic mess kits
  • Duct tape and sturdy plastic sheeting
  • Fully charged cell phone power banks
  • Flashlights
  • Strike anywhere waterproof matches

Please refer to our recent blog post for a more detailed list of items every homeowner should stock in their emergency preparedness kit.


Turn Everything Off

After a power outage, it’s not uncommon for a power surge to occur when the power does return. To prevent damage to your lights and appliances, turn off all but one light. This light will serve to alert you to the power being restored.

Avoid using propane or gas stoves or generators within the home or garage, because they will create potentially deadly carbon monoxide during operation. They are safe to use outdoors.

Ensure that your battery-powered carbon monoxide detector is working, as well. While they’re important at all times, they can be especially so during a power outage.


Report the Power Outage

Be sure to call your utility company to report the outage at your address. While they may be aware of the loss of power, the more homes that report, the easier it will be for them to track down the precise location that has experienced a failure.


Close All Doors and Windows

Whether it’s sweltering or freezing outdoors, keep your doors and windows closed until power returns. Doing so will help ensure that your home remains as close to your pre-set temperature as possible.

This issue is only one on a long list of reasons why it’s essential to weatherproof your home. Drafty windows and doors, sparse insulation, and single-pane windows can all contribute to your home losing heat or cool air in an emergency. 

If a power outage arrives before you’ve completed your weatherproofing, use tightly-rolled towels and blankets to block drafts until your power returns.


Start the Perishable Food Countdown

Your freezer and fridge will stay cool for a long stretch, but the CDC does recommend discarding refrigerated food after 4 hours, and frozen food (in a half-full freezer) after 24 hours. If your freezer is full at the time the power goes out, you have a full 48 hours before you need to worry. Therefore, if you have been alerted to the possibility of a long power outage and your freezer is less than jam-packed, you may decide to transfer refrigerated foods over to maximize their chance of staying fresh.

If the weather permits, fire up your outdoor grill and cook up meat that’s going to spoil otherwise! Invite the neighbors, pull up some patio furniture, and pass the time outdoors while you wait.


Charge or Fill Up Your Vehicle

No one always keeps their car’s energy or gas reserve full, and an unexpected power loss will likely find you less than prepared in this respect. However, if a severe storm or heat wave is predicted, set aside time to ensure that your vehicle is ready to roll.


Summer Outage Recommendations

When the temps are scorching, keeping cool is key. If you can purchase ice, fill chests and even bathtubs to bring the indoor temperature down. If you have battery-powered fans, run them where they can waft this cooled air throughout your home.

Keep your curtains, shades, and blinds closed to prevent the summer sunshine from warming things up. Blackout shades are best, but in a pinch, tinfoil can work as well. Just be sure to put the shiny side facing out, and remove it when the power returns—otherwise, your neighbors are going to be less than thrilled. 

When you can finally start your HVAC up again, do your part to help the grid by slowly easing your settings down over several hours. Otherwise, the grid may overload again with the sudden demand from every home in your area.


Seasoned homeowners, what are your top tips for new homeowners who are preparing for a power outage for the first time? We would love it if you left a comment below, especially if you want to share both what has and hasn’t served you well in your experiences.

Thank you for visiting us here at Parks Realty! You could be anywhere on the internet, so we appreciate the time you chose to spend with us.

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