1) Have some bottled water. (especially if you have your our own well)
2) Have some canned food or other non perishable type food that can be easily prepared.
3) Have some battery powered lighting and extra batteries. (LED lighting is a good choice)
4) If it’s safe have a backup type of heat (even central gas heaters require electricity to run blower motors)
5) Don’t open freezers or refrigerators unless absolutely necessary. (checking them only lets the cool air out)
6) Freezers should stay frozen two or three days. (if they are full and working properly)
7) An ice chest for perishable items can be used in place of a refrigerator.
8) If you have a generator make sure it is properly connected and follow the manufacturer’s directions when connecting.
9) Check on the elderly.
10) Have something for the kids to do. (they will be bored in a short time)
11) Do not try to move or let anyone else but a qualified lineman touch a downed power line. ( ice can hide the fact a line is energized even if the line is on the ground)
If outages do occur members should call in and give their name and account number to the dispatcher.
