Stay safe during power outages

By Katharine Flug.

Crash!

You hear it coming from the big dying maple tree next door. Your lights flicker, dim, then fade to nothing.

It’s December. That time of year. As any long-term Pacific Northwesterner knows, winter brings wind, storms, and power outages.

You stumble in the dark. Did you take steps before the storm to prepare? What can you do now to keep your family safe? Is there anything you should do when it’s over?

Lucky for you, you bookmarked this blog.

Preparing for a storm.

You were smart! You did a couple things earlier this year to put yourself in good position. You’ve signed up for local emergency alerts, so you’ll know if there’s anything big going on. You head to your pantry to grab your emergency kit, which contains:

• Flashlights.
• Batteries.
• Power sources like powerbanks or portable chargers.
• Fresh water and nonperishable foods.
• First aid kit.
• Fire extinguisher.

Maybe someone in your family has life-sustaining medical equipment, and you’ve taken steps to register it with your utility company. You know how long any refrigerated medication can be stored at higher temps.

Finally, your carbon monoxide detectors are backed up with batteries throughout your house. Great work!

During the outage

That prep work put you in a good spot, but your work isn’t done. With the heat out, get warm! Layer up with clothes and blankets.

Staying warm should mean staying safe, too. Don’t use gas stoves or ovens to heat your home. Never use barbecues, camp stoves, or propane heaters inside. Watch out for carbon monoxide poisoning and call Washington Poison Center at (800) 222-1222 if you or members of your family experience:

• Headache.
• Dizziness.
• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Chest pain.
• Confusion.

Power outages might mean candles. But avoid open flames when possible, especially if you have small children or animals.

The neighbor’s dilapidated maple trees might have brought down power lines. Never go within 35 feet of downed lines, even if you think they’re safe.

Take steps after the power outage.

The outage might last minutes or days. Act like it’ll be days. Keep the fridge and freezer doors closed. Consider adding ice to your fridge to keep food cold. Food poisoning becomes a risk the longer the power is out. Use food that can spoil quickly first. Throw out meat, seafood, dairy and other food that spoils and doesn’t feel cold.

Maybe this outage lasts a couple days. When you open your fridge, the deli meat feels warm-ish. Toss it! When in doubt, throw it out. The last thing you want is to breeze through a power outage only to get sick.

Be safe!

Remember, it’s December. Power outages can happen anytime. We hope the worst thing that happened is your neighbor lost a tree.

Learn more about power outage safety and emergency preparedness at tpchd.org/emergency. You can also find more info on generator safety and avoiding carbon monoxide on Washington State Department of Health’s website.   

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