What You Need During A Power Outage

An unexpected event, like a power outage, can happen anywhere at any time. Out of most cities, Los Angeles is certainly not immune to natural disasters, including earthquakes, fires, electrical storms or floods. Adding to the strain of millions of people sucking on the local power grid, the summer temperatures in Los Angeles can be intolerable without central air conditioning. For these reasons, a simple list of thoughtful hints to get you through the next power outage are included here.

Related: LA Power Outages

Tip 1: Keep Shoes Nearby

The moment you realize there is a black out, the first instinct is to jump up and run through the room. Take a moment to put on a pair of shoes. Keep them right next to the bed where you'll find them without even needing to look. Every ER nurse will tell you that the injuries seen after a power outage often relate to stepping on things in the dark.

Tip 2: Battery Powered Safety Lamp or Flashlight

Seems so simple, but having a battery operated light in your room is really important. A hurricane style, camping lamp is preferable, but any reliable flashlight can be a lifesaver in a power outage. Keeping spare batteries in the bed table is advisable so you don't have to go searching for them in a darkened dwelling. Often, hotels will have emergency lamps to help visitors find their way out in emergencies, but a power outage in your most familiar environment is just as dangerous.

Tip 3: Solar Battery Back Up or Gas Generator

Certain household items must have power all the time. Refrigerators, life supporting medical devices, and other vitally necessary machines can represent the difference between life and death if left without power for any extended period of time. If your family requires certain machines for life itself, it's best to protect your home or business with an alternative power source. Whether you choose to invest in solar panels with a battery back-up or a gasoline powered external generator, these resources are an important part of our modern, complicated lifestyle. Switch off everything but the most vital machines and run off the battery power, however, solar is more sustainable over time.

Tip 4: Cell Phone With Internet

No matter what city you're in, your cell phone is the smartest way to get information during a power outage. A "smartphone" with internet is the easiest and most effective way to find out what is happening in your area. You may want to discover if there is an emergency, like a natural disaster or other reason, causing the outage.You'll need to know where to find emergency instructions for terrorism, civil unrest, criminal search, accident or unusual weather event that require emergency instructions from city officials, making the phone in your hand is a vital tool.

Tip 5: Food Safety - Extreme Heat

Getting through the long, dark night may seem like the hard part of a power outage, but it's really after the sun comes up that larger problems begin to present themselves. Heat in Los Angeles can soar into the triple digits during summer months and, particularly for the elderly and infirm, extreme heat without air conditioning can be a killer. Refrigerated foods become deadly, too, if warmed to higher than 40°F, so it's vital to make a special effort to keep perishables on ice or discard them after power is restored. Poisonous bacteria will destroy food, so better to toss it out than to become ill from trying to refreeze it after a power outage.

Related: LA Disaster Relief