Surviving Without Power
Blackouts or electrical outages are certainly not uncommon in America. In fact, they're regular occurrences during big storms, hurricanes or tornadoes.
Should you experience this, you can prepare your residence to make the best of the situation.
As soon as you hear about an incoming storm, start packing the freezer and refrigerator with ice and water-filled containers. It's important to stuff the fridge, because the crowded conditions will keep food cold for a longer period. Inside the fridge, turn the temperature down as low as possible. If refrigerated food is still cool, you should be able to use it for about 48 hours. The less you open the refrigerator door, the longer the food inside stays cold.
Pack the freezer with water bottles and other stuff, too. Frozen water bottles serve as large ice blocks, which can keep food cold after the power goes out. Should the power be out so long that the bottled ice melts, you can still drink the water. Be careful with other frozen food. Unless frozen fish and meats have ice crystals on them, throw them out. Never eat melted ice cream and avoid opening the freezer door.
Say you need to eat a meal without any power. You can still cook using cans of sterno. Unlike a charcoal grill, you can use sterno indoors - just make sure there are no gas leaks before you strike the first match. Also, only cook what you're going to eat for that meal. Leftovers are a breeding ground for bacteria.
What do you do during hot or muggy weather when you have no power for an air conditioner? Stay in the coolest part of the house, where there's optimum cross-ventilation. Put wet cloths on your head, neck, ankles, and wrists to cool down. Drink plenty of water - even if you do not feel thirsty.
If it's just a typical blackout, one not caused by a major storm, do not forget to turn off as many lights and appliances as possible. That way, you're preventing surges and overloads when the power is restored. There is one major exception here: Do not disconnect electrical equipment during a storm, especially an electrical storm.
How do you see where you're going during a blackout? The old advice used to be to store plenty of candles and matches. That's a romantic notion, to be sure, but it's not a particularly safe one - unless you're staying in the same room, within eyesight of the candle at all times. To avoid fire risk, store plenty of flashlights stocked with fresh batteries instead. Not only are they safer, but they are far more portable and more resistant to wind and physical altercations.
