Power Outage? Have a Safety Plan in Place

The weather doesn’t have to be severe for a power outage to occur. Share the following helpful tips to encourage safety during a power outage.

  •     Use only flashlights for emergency lighting. Candles may cause a fire.
  •     Keep doors to kitchen appliances, like refrigerators and freezers, closed. If doors are unopened, food may be kept cold for an extended period of time. Turn to the pre-packed emergency kit for food and water supplies.
  •     Be aware of the temperature inside the home. If it grows hot, consider going to a local store or cooling shelter in the community. If leaving home isn’t an option, moving to the lowest level will help keep occupants cool.
  •     If it’s cold outside, wear several layers of clothing. Never burn charcoal or wood indoors and never attempt to use the oven as a heat source.
  •     Disconnect technology such as computers in case of power surges that may damage electronic devices.
  •     Never run a generator inside the home or garage.

Recommended procedure for using an emergency generator:

  1.    Connect the generator cord to the transfer switch or inlet box.
  2.    Turn all the circuit breakers in the transfer switch to the off position.
  3.    Start the generator and let it warm up.
  4.    Flip the main breakers in the transfer switch to the Generator position.

Communicate these helpful tips to those in your community. Stay safe the next time there’s a power surge. Have questions? Contact your local Paul Davis office for advice.