Self-Reliance in a Power Outage
People do not usually think of a power outage in the same light as an earthquake. However, when the power is out for a long period of time, citizen requests for fire, police, medical, and other public services will begin to mount. At some point, the increased demand for services could result in delayed response times.
For this reason, every citizen should learn to be self-reliant in an emergency. And even though power outages may only last a few hours, individuals and organizations should be prepared to be without assistance for 72 hours or longer.
To assist individuals prepare for an emergency, the City of San Mateo, State of California, American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company have provided information on what to do during a power outage or other emergency.
- Check Circuit Breakers. If your power goes out, check your home's circuit breakers or fuses first. Your power could be out because a circuit has tripped or a fuse has blown.
- Report Electrical Outages. See if the lights in your neighborhood are off. Contact the local electric utility to report an outage.
- Power Lines. If you can see any power lines on the ground, stay at least 10 feet away from them as electricity might still be flowing through the lines.
- Sensitive Appliances. Protect appliances from possible power surges when electricity is restored. Unplug appliances and computers, if possible, and turn off non-essential lights.
- Keep Food Cold. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to help prevent food spoilage. Refrigerated foods should remain safe to eat for four hours. Food in a closed freezer can stay frozen for up to two days. If in doubt, throw it out.
- Dry Ice. Add dry or block ice to the freezer to help keep food frozen. Never add dry ice with your bare hands or place directly on top of food.
- Water. Discontinue non-essential water usage. Do not drink cloudy or dirty water. Don't be alarmed if chlorine level is higher than normal. Notify water officials of low or no water pressure.
- Stay Cool. During hot days, stay cool indoors and drink plenty of fluids.
- Check on Neighbors. Check on elderly or medically dependent neighbors.
- Life Support Equipment. If someone in your household uses life support equipment, make arrangements for a back-up power supply.
- Generators. Establish independent, short-term power supplies such as generators or battery-operated devices. If you own a generator, never plug it into any electric outlet in your home. Instead, plug appliances directly into the generator.
- Monitor Radio and Television. Monitor battery operated radio or television for current information on the outage.
- Telephones. A telephone that does not depend on electricity. Cordless phones will not function during an outage.
- Garage Doors. Know how to manually release and open any electric doors, like garage doors.
- Security Gates. Find out the steps needed to take to open and close security gates.
- House Numbers. Ensure house numbers are readily visible from the street for emergency response.
- Anticipate Traffic Delays. Intersections should be treated as four-way stops when traffic lights are out. Anticipate long traffic delays in areas where the power is out.