Preparation is Key in Aurora and Solon
During the winter months, the weather outside can be frightful, especially when it results in a prolonged power outage. Whether it lasts for one day or one week, keeping your family warm, safe, and comfortable during a blackout can be a daunting task.
Fortunately, there are some precautionary measures you can take to ensure that your days and nights spent without electricity – and even heat – are a little more bearable.
- Start now by creating or replenishing your winter survival kit, one that should include flashlights, batteries, candles, lighters, and plenty of warm blankets. Add a car charger for your cellphone and a battery powered radio to stay connected to the outside world. And, of course, don’t forget to keep plenty of bottled water and non-perishable foods on hand.
- If you have an automatic garage door, familiarize yourself with its manual release setting so that you can get it opened if need be.
- Since getting to a gas station might prove challenging during a power outage, make sure you have enough gasoline on hand to power your portable generator for up to 3 days.
- If you have a wood burning stove or fireplace, keep plenty of dry wood ready in case you lose heat.
- To prevent pipes from freezing, bursting, and creating an indoor flood, leave a faucet or two trickling until power is restored. Moving water cannot freeze, even in extreme cold.
- As soon as you lose power, unplug all electronics and appliances, including TVs, tablets, computers, washing machine, and dryer. Even if you have surge protectors, power could surge back on several times during the course of repair and cause damage to electrically powered gear and appliances.
- If possible, move your family to a shelter for the night, especially during times of below freezing temperatures, to keep them from getting hypothermia and even frost bite.
- Keep certain medicines, like insulin, cold by placing them in a small cooler inside your refrigerator. The cooler will provide extra insulation and keep items cool as long as you don’t open the fridge any more than necessary.
- Take extra precautions against carbon monoxide poisoning. For example, don’t use your stove as a heat source or operate your gas grill indoors without proper ventilation.
Bottom line, winter storms and resulting power outages can be a royal pain. But you can lessen the pain by being ready in advance. At Norhio Plumbing, we can lend some valuable assistance of our own by insulating exposed water pipes to further help prevent freezing. Contact us today for that or any plumbing need at all.
