There’s nothing like a power outage of a few hours or more to appreciate just how much we rely on electricity in our daily lives. From cooking to entertainment, heating to lighting, our homes need energy to thrive.
Power outages can take you by surprise, which is why it’s important to know what to do when one strikes. Remember, stay safe and never attempt to do any electrical work yourself.
Say a storm, or cyclone, take out the power for a few hours or days, or you’ve had to leave in a hurry because of a fire or flood.
My go-to food is chili tuna, corn kernels, four-bean mix, and brown rice. It requires no refrigeration, it’s robust, and you can have it in the cupboard. Ideally, I want that heated, but it is still palatable cold.
Pack a kit with enough supplies to last three days.
Most people will have a limited supply in their emergency food kit -so when you prepare, it’s best to have high-quality food that you will eat and fewer of them.
Don’t you feel like screaming when your phone runs out of battery?
We all do, especially if we have urgent matters to take care of and all depend on our phones. Imagine how bad it would be if our lives depended on it.
When the power goes out, a portable phone charger will keep you going during an emergency, be it a hurricane, wildfire blackout, or other natural disaster.
How foolproof is your computer backup system?
With more of us working from home and remote learning, there’s a big chance that our backup systems aren’t as sophisticated as the office.
Computers can suddenly turn off in a natural disaster. Therefore, we can lose unsaved data forever. For instance, computers can also be destroyed by flooding, so you need to have a foolproof backup system.
How confident are you with your backup system?
If you already have an emergency kit, it’s a great idea to add $100 to it. When the power and networks are down, bank machines don’t work and it will be handy to have cash!
If you have children, teach them the importance of having a safety fund. They’ll love the idea of a piggy bank that brings them rewards.
So maybe you have downloaded maps on your iPhone and you’re okay – but if you didn’t or you’re in a new place, and you have to get on the road to get someplace safe – having a hard copy map will get you around traffic delays, road closures, and help you out.
Put one in your glove box now!
When the power goes out, one of the biggest issues you’ll face is losing light. So finding alternate sources of light as quickly and easily as possible is important.