How to Prepare for a Power Outage

Preparing for a power outage will allow you to handle the situation much more easily when it arises. Here are some tips to help you prepare in advance:

Write down your power company contact information and/or put it in your cellphone for easy access.
Make sure everyone in your family knows where your flashlights are and that they all have fresh batteries. This way you don’t need to look for them in “panic mode”.
Turn off your HVAC system. The gas furnace should be fine, but you don’t want to chance carbon monoxide poisoning. Just don’t forget to turn them on when the power comes back!
Consider buying some glow sticks for emergency light. Candles can be extremely dangerous and glow sticks provide similar lighting without a safety concern. Also, you won’t have to waste all of your flashlight battery life for basic tasks.
Incorporate regular practice of “utility-free” time into your lifestyle. This will help you identify what you really do need in an emergency situation. Spending longer periods of time outside will also help you acclimate yourself to different weather conditions as well.
Lastly, make sure your family has an emergency kit ready. In other words, make sure your family has enough food, water and other supplies to last for at least 3 days. This kit could come in extremely handy for many other emergencies as well.

Taking these precautions can help you be more prepared for your next power outage, so that you can focus more time keeping your family safe and less time panicking about these details.