One of your most important responsibilities to yourself and your family is emergency preparedness. If you live somewhere that’s subject to hurricanes, one of the things you need to worry about is a potential hurricane power outage. If the power goes down and you don’t have some kind of power outage backup system, it can be terrifying. You may not be able to see two feet in front of your face, let alone have the ability to keep warm, feed yourself and your family or find out what’s happening.
Remember: in a hurricane power outage without some kind of power outage backup, you won’t have any internet or TV to help clue you into what’s going on. Here’s how to prepare for a power outage.
Light
Your first priority when the power goes out is to shed some light on the situation. Fortunately, if your battery is charged, your mobile phone or other digital device may provide some light, but that won’t last. Make sure you have a supply of flashlights, fresh batteries, candles and matches handy, and make sure they’re in a location where you can find them in the dark.
Food and Water
Have a two-week supply of bottled water and canned goods stashed away in case of a hurricane power outage. Make sure you have a manual can opener, too, or you may lose your mind trying to get those cans open. There are plenty of canned foods that taste good cold, so make sure you get ones that you can tolerate in case cooking is a problem.
Heat
That being said, you should have a system in place for cooking during a power outage. A propane grill is great to have in these situations, since it can provide warmth in cold weather as well as heat for cooking. If you do have a propane grill, make sure you have plenty of fuel for it. It may not be so easy to get more in an emergency.
Communication
Remember: the internet and television may be down during a hurricane power outage. Keep a cheap battery-operated radio handy to get news when the electricity is out.
Power Outage Backup System
While a propane heater or grill can be a great provider of backup energy in a blackout, a truly solid power outage backup system is a generator. A portable generator can do the trick as a power outage backup for a short-term emergency, but if you want to be really safe, there are larger generators that can provide energy to your entire home when properly fueled.
It’s not hard to be prepared for a hurricane power outage — it’s just a matter of actively taking the steps to do it. If having enough fuel for a generator or propane grill or heater is an issue, there are fuel companies that can supply all of your needs. In the Virginia area, Foster Fuels is the expert in providing propane, gasoline, diesel and other fuel-related products and services. Prepare now so you won’t have to worry later.
