Did you know that most Americans experience nearly 4 hours of power outage every year? Although this might not seem like much, just imagine your life with electricity for an hour right now. This might cause a massive loss in productivity, not to mention that you might also get seriously bored.
Casual blackouts are annoying, so you’re likely wondering how to prepare for a power outage. What do you do if the tornado season is coming and you need to prepare for the worst? Luckily, there are a lot of things you can do. Keep reading to learn how to prepare for long term power outage and minimize its effects on your life.
1. Store Supplies of Fresh Potable Water
All is fine until you run out of water. Nearly 60% of your body is made out of this vital liquid. In case of a power outage, the water supply to your house might be cut off. That’s why you should prepare multiple large bottles with clean, fresh water for use in case of emergency.
For example, most people go for 8-10 gallons of water stored somewhere in the basement or pantry. If your family is larger, you might want to store even more bottles. This water will be very helpful for drinking and washing in case of a blackout and it will give you more peace of mind.
2. Store Plenty of Canned Food and Supplies With a Long Shelf Life
Once you have water handled, it’s time to move to food. Make sure that you stock a few dozen cans for each family member, especially adults. Canned food usually has a long shelf life, it requires minimal preparation before eating, and it’s adequately nutritious.
There is also a wide variety of canned food you can store. Most people go for beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, canned soup, even canned chicken breast with sauce. These foods will feed you and your family until the power comes back on and you can prepare regular meals.
3. Have a Few Flashlights and Batteries Handy
Having to deal with a power outage at night is particularly tricky. That’s why you need to store a few powerful flashlights in your house to be used during blackouts. Store multiple fresh batteries as well and replace the dead ones when necessary.
If your budget is higher, you could also invest in solar equipment that provides electricity when the power goes out. Visit PoweredPortableSolar.com for more information about this.
4. Store Warm Clothes and Blankets
Most of today’s heaters work with electricity. During a power outage, you can be left cold inside your house. That’s why you need to store a few blankets somewhere in your house and use them only during power outages.
This piece of advice is particularly useful if you have small kids to take care of. Make sure that you also stock on warm clothes for you and your family members. These items will keep you warm at night.
Now You Know How to Prepare for a Power Outage
Hopefully, this short article answered your original question – how to prepare for a power outage. It’s all about stocking supplies on time and keeping your cool during a blackout. Eventually, you’ll make it through unharmed and have an interesting story to tell on how prepared you were when it happened!
Make sure that you check out the other articles on our website to learn more about disaster preparedness and how to increase your chances of survival.
