This post is also about a little company in my hometown called NIPSCO and the manner in which they perennially ruin my summer vacation. Nine years of living in the desert have made me eager each July to witness a really rockin' summer thunderstorm, and I usually get to. Problem being that five minutes in, the lights flicker. Then, seven minutes in, the lights go out and the house mobilizes to first try to prevent, and then try to bail out, the water that inevitably rises in the basement because there is no power to pump it away from the interior. Every. Single. Summer. The power goes out just like it did at the Super Bowl.
Now, thanks to my North Las Vegas Hometown Emergency Planner wheel, I know not only how to prepare for this annual event, but how to act when it takes place. You may remember my first mention of the wheel back in January. Now you get to see what it looks like.
And here we go again with the centered text. Someday I'll learn how to format, but that day is not today.
What follows is transcription, not writing, and is actually available on the above-linked website. That, however, is not as fun as the actual wheel, or as fun as supporting your 2nd-favorite blogger. You have already heard most of the power outage information, but here it is stated in a slightly different way, and as we are all aware, repetition is the key to knowledge.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A POWER OUTAGE:
- Be prepared to be independent for 72 hours or longer.
- Store at least a 72-hour supply of food, drinking water and other supplies.
- One gallon of water per person per day and food that won't spoil
- Keep flashlights or light sticks, portable radios, and extra batteries on hand.
- If you own a generator, learn its safe and proper operation - use only outdoors.
- Be sure that you have at least one telephone that does not depend on electricity - cordless phones will not work in a power outage.
- Keep cell phones charged.
- Know how to start or connect a backup power supply for essential medical equipment.
- Know how to manually release and open any electric doors, ie garage doors.
- Keep cash and coins on hand.
- Keep vehicle gas tanks at least half full.
- Conserve electricity during peak energy periods.
HOW TO ACT:
- If your power goes out, check your home's circuit breakers or fuses first.
- See if the lights in your neighborhood are off.
- Contact the power company for information or to report an outage.
- If you see any downed power lines, stay at least 10 feet away from them.
- Protect appliances from possible power surges.
- Unplug appliances and computers and turn off lights.
- Leave one low wattage incandescent light on so you know when power is restored.
(Editorial comment/question: Do you think leaving a light on is really necessary? In my experience EVERY SUMMER because thanks a lot, NIPSCO, there is a white-noisy hum that announces that power is back.)
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
- Add dry or block ice to the freezer to help keep food frozen.
- 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.
- Try to stay as cool as possible by staying inside on the lowest floor out of the sunshine.
- If you use a generator, never plug it into any electrical outlet in your home.
- Plug appliances directly into the generator using heavy-duty extension cords.
- Place generator outdoors and away from windows, household exhaust fans or dryer vents.
- If you use candles for lighting, place them on a fireproof surface.
- In an area-wide outage, traffic signals may be out - remember intersections become 4-way stops.
- Anticipate long traffic delays while the power is out.
- Check on neighbors with special needs: the elderly, mobility-impaired, medically dependent, or children who are home alone.
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! Now, you remember what to do. I suggest getting your own handy wheel for your locality, so that you can read it with your trusty headlamp when things go awry. Mine has a list of important phone numbers such as fire, police, and poison control, which means that my planning activity for this week is already done! Good job, North Las Vegas. My love/hate relationship with North Las Vegas will never get old.
It's too bad NIPSCO is so good at letting the power go out now, when power outages back in the 80's were a rare thing. As an adult, power outages suck, but as a kid they are fun because of the playing rummy by candlelight. I suppose that if we wanted to, we could play rummy by candlelight anyway, just for funsies.
And now, without further ado, the world's most delicious sandwich awaits. Enjoy your weekend!
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