Knowing what to do during a power outage is the key to staying safe, and not just from spoiled food and toppled power lines.
After Wednesday night's ice storm, many are still without power and will be for probably another day or two. LG&E is working hard to make progress on the outages and a lot of people thanked them on social media.
So, if your power is still out, here are some things you should and should not do during power outages.
What not to do:
- Do not use cooking grills or fuel-powered generators indoors as they emit carbon monoxide, which can be deadly.
- Do not open and close refrigerator or freezer doors frequently. This can spoil food and liquids such as milk more quickly.
During the outage:
- Stay tuned on a battery-operated radio for news about service restoration.
- Identify and throw away food that may not be safe to eat.
- In cold weather, wear layers of clothing, which help keep in body heat.
- Hypothermia happens when a person’s core body temperature is lower than 35°C (95°F). Learn more about how to recognize and prevent hypothermia.
- Treat non-functioning traffic lights as four-way stops. Leave extra time for commutes.
- Use flashlights, headlamps, battery-operated lanterns or glow sticks rather than candles or other flammable lighting sources.
- Keep only a single electrical item plugged in to alert when the power is restored. (This also prevents power surge damage to other appliances and devices.)
- Mind those with special needs who may be trapped on upper floors when elevators stop working.
- Know in advance where your residence's fusebox is located and how to turn the power and circuit breakers on and off. Mapping and labeling each circuit breaker to its relative appliance or room is also a good idea.
- Evacuate immediately if you smell gas.
- Turn off major appliances to prevent overloading and possible damage when power is restored.
Food Safety tips:
- If the power is out for less than 4 hours, then the food in your refrigerator and freezer will be safe to consume. While the power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to keep food cold for longer. Visit Keep Food and Water Safe After a Disaster or Emergency for more information.
After power is restored:
- Have appropriate contractors check plumbing and heating appliances if a home was flooded.
- Turn on appliances and electronic equipment one at a time to avoid overloading circuits.
- When in doubt, throw it out! Throw away any food that has been exposed to temperatures 40 degrees or higher for two hours or more, or that has an unusual odor, color, or texture.
- If the power is out for more than a day, discard any medication that should be refrigerated, unless the drug’s label says otherwise. If a life depends on the refrigerated drugs, consult a doctor or pharmacist and use medicine only until a new supply is available.
CDC.gov and Ready.gov contributed to this report
