- Before a weather event prepare your home by:
- Ensuring that your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working and have fresh batteries.
- Consider purchasing a generator to provide power during an outage. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and learn how to use it safely before an outage.
- Ensuring that you have sufficient heating fuel. Consider safe backup heating options such as fireplaces or woodstoves.
- Have a landline phone with a corded receiver.
- Fully charge your cell phone, laptop, and other electronic devices.
- If you have a water supply (such as a well-water pump system) that could be affected by a power outage, fill your bathtub and spare containers with water. The water in the bathtub should be used for sanitation purposes only. You can pour a bucket of this water directly into the toilet bowl to flush it.
- Keep your car’s gas tank full. Pumps at gas stations may not work during a power outage.
- Set your refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings to keep food cold (but remember to reset them back to normal once power is restored).
- If you have life-support devices, such as home dialysis or breathing machines, or other medical equipment or supplies that depend on electricity:
- Talk to your health care provider about how to use them during a power outage.
- Contact your local electric company and equipment suppliers about your power needs. Some utility companies will put you on a “priority reconnection service” list.
- Let the fire department know that you are dependent on life-support devices.
- If you have medication that requires refrigeration, check with your pharmacist for guidance on proper storage during an extended outage.