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There are many reasons power to a home can be disrupted. The best way to avoid losses caused by power outages is to be prepared and understand what steps you can take to reduce risk of secondary losses. Homeowners should have regular inspections of the interior and the exterior electrical wiring. Surge protections and understanding how to prevent damage to personal property is a vital preventative measure. In some areas of the country, an alternate power sources, such as generators, maybe a good idea, especially where electricity is needed to pump water from their private wells or run medical equipment.
Severe weather is a common cause of damaged power lines and other electrical equipment. Fallen trees often cause downed power lines, and interrupt electrical service. Being prepared is the first step to mitigating damages, and increased insurance claims.
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When the Power First Goes Out:
- Check the fuse or breaker box for blown fuses or tripped circuits. If they’re fine then look and see if the neighbors have power or not.
- Call the electric company to report the outage, it is a good idea to keep the number handy we keep ours in the inside of our main panel. Only call once so other people who have lost power can get through.
- Turn off all electrical equipment, including your water heater, electric furnace or heaters, stove, washer and dryer, stereo and TV. This helps prevent overloading the system when power is restored.
- Leave your porch light and one inside light on so you and the power company crews will know when service is restored to your home.
- Listen to a battery-powered radio for outage updates.
- If your neighbor’s power comes back on but yours doesn’t, call your electric company again.
- If your lights are very dim or bright once power is restored, turn off the power at the breaker or fuse box and call the power company to report it.
- Don’t use candles to light or heat your home
Every home should have an emergency kit available in case of a power outage. These emergency kits should contain:
- Flashlight and batteries. Be sure to replace your batteries often, we change ours with the time changes from daylight to standard time twice a year.
- Battery-powered radio and extra batteries. Remember to keep these batteries changed as well. Some of the newer emergency radios also offer direct information from the National Weather bureau and television sound. Some have Chargers for cell phones, strobe lights and television picture as well.
- Wired Telephone, cordless telephones depend on the electrical power unit to function. Keep at least one hard wired telephone in your home. Internet cable telephone service will NOT work when the power is out, so those with internet phone service may want to keep a cell phone on hand.
- Manual can opener
- Battery-powered or wind-up alarm clock
- Bottled water
- Sanitary water containers, if electricity is required to pump water.
- Thermos
- Disposable plates and utensils
- Extra blankets or sleeping bags
Photo credits for this blog entry: 
City “Lights Out” taken by: Rafael Rigues SXC User name: rigues the other photo has no use restrictions.
Related Blogs:
- Lightning: Protecting Your House and Property
- Power Surge And Electrical Outages.
- ‘Tis The Season for Lights and Fire Claims! Tips For Safe Lighting
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