OK, let's imagine for a moment that we are in the middle of a storm and you're all tucked in for the evening watching your favorite flick and ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE POWER GOES OUT!! Will you scream out in frustration or quietly go to your preparedness supplies and continue your evening in comfort during a power outage? I'll be doing the latter because I have made my list and bought my supplies for just such an occasion.
First steps when the power goes out
- I grab my hand-crank flashlight and turn off appliances and lights switches throughout the condo.
- Fill empty bottles with tap water ( just in case there's a bigger issue with the water supply).
- Pull out a couple of strands of battery-powered lights; put one in the bathroom, one in the kitchen. I love these lights and everyone should have a few strands handy.
- Call your local power company and check the status of the outage.
- If I still have a cellular connection then I'll periodically check for any weather or emergency warnings.
- Pop a DVD, (yes I kept them for just such an event) into my always charged portable DVD player, grab a glass of vino, pet the cat and relax till the power comes back on or it's time to go to sleep.
Keep your mobile technology fully charged
I keep the following items charged up and ready to go.
- Kindles (2) ( 1 has all my favorite movies downloaded to the kindle so if I don't have an internet connection I can still watch a movie and the other has my kindle books, magazines downloaded to the device.
- iPad's (2) - one mini and one iPad Pro wit a larger screen
- iPhones (2)
- Mac Air
- Mac Book Pro
- Portable DVD Player
- Wireless headphones
- Portable Chargers ( 1 small one that stays in my purse and 2 larger ones to power up the kindle or Ipad if needed.
This scenario assumes an overnight power outage; if it's something more serious then no wine for this girl.
When the power goes out stay safe and if possible check on neighbors.
Don't forget about your pets read: Disaster Planning And Your Pet Emergency Kit