What’s in your Storm Kit?
Before storms hit, make sure you have the supplies you’ll need.
Late summer and early fall are prime seasons for hurricanes and tropical storms. After a major storm, customers should be ready for the possibility of several days without power. Here are some things you should have at home to ride out a multiple-day power outage.
Prepare for outages by stocking the pantry with water, food that doesn’t require refrigeration, and batteries for your radio and flashlights.
Storm Kit Checklist:
- Make sure your flashlights and battery-powered radios have fresh batteries, are ready to use and easy to find. Stock extra batteries, too.
- Have at least one telephone that is not dependent on electricity. (Cordless phones won’t work during a power interruption.)
- If you have a cell phone, make sure the battery is fully charged.
- Have candles, lamps and matches handy. Instruct family members in their proper use to reduce the risk of accidental fires.
- Every home should have fire safety equipment: fire extinguishers, baking soda and heavy blankets.
- Store drinking water in extra bottles or plastic containers enough for 5-days. If you have an electric water pump, fill pails, kettles, bathtubs and sink with water for other uses. (One gallon per day, per person)
- Have a 5-day supply of non-perishable foods. Be sure you have an old-fashioned, manual can opener on hand.
- Make plans for emergency heating and cooking.
- Put extra blankets and your warmest clothes where you can find them easily. Layering clothing is a great way to stay warm.
- Make sure you have a first aid kit filled with necessities including prescription medication.
- No power doesn’t mean no fun! Pack cards or your favorite board games.
Other to-do’s before a storm:
- Sign up for our free Outage Alerts service. You’ll automatically receive notifications with the latest information about your power outage.
- Turn off major appliances (electric water heaters, refrigerators and freezers) and sensitive electronic equipment (TVs, VCRs, DVD players, computers, stereos) to prevent overloading and possible damage when power is restored.
- Turning off this equipment may mean that you have to unplug it, turn off the circuit breaker or remove the fuse for the circuit in your home that provides power to this equipment. Leave one light switch “on” so you’ll know when power has been restored.
- Make sure your electric stove tops and/or ovens are off. When the power is restored, the burners may begin heating up and could be a hazard.
