In an instant, all of the lights turn off, and you’re in darkness. You look out your window, and it seems as if your town has come to a halt. Usually, you’d see a few street lights or at least the cell phone tower blinking in the distance, but all is silent and pitch black. For once, you can see the stars sparkling in the sky.
You check your phone that’s plugged into the wall, but it’s still at 34% and no longer charging. All of your appliances are off, and you can’t access the internet or radio.
This might seem like the start of a horror film or an apocalypse, but it’s what many people have experienced at least once in their lives — a power outage. Whether you live in a big city with bustling life or out in a rural community, a power outage affects everyone. How will you ever survive without an ounce of electricity?
Fortunately, you can survive a short or even prolonged power outage if you take a few preventive measures and know what to do in a situation like this.
Basics of the Nation’s Grid
Electricity has offered a world of opportunities. It’s a powerful resource and has allowed humans to live as they do today with nearly unlimited sources at their fingertips. You likely use electricity daily, whether it’s through the grid or a renewable energy supply, like solar power or wind energy.
In the past decade, more people have had access to the grid than ever before. The global electrification rate is about 90%, and each year, more than 150 million people gain access to local power supplies. Even those in the harder-to-reach areas, like populations in sub-Saharan Africa, have been able to get some electricity thanks to off-grid solutions.
Remote areas of the world are still living in the dark, and they’ve been able to come up with creative ways to survive despite having zero access to electricity. The power grids in major cities, though, are relatively fragile. It wouldn’t take much for an entire town to go without electricity. A massive outage could take months to restore, and that would likely stop many people dead in their tracks.
Why Does the Grid Go Down?
Occasionally, the power grid will go down. Storms, natural disasters, human error, and overloads are primary causes of a downed system. Any interruptions between the power generation and the electricity supply to a home or business can cause a power outage. For example, in February of 2021, Texas experienced a significant power outage following a winter storm. Blackouts certainly draw attention to the weaknesses in the power grid.
Most power outages don’t last long. Some outages last seconds or just a few minutes. It might be a few hours or overnight before electricians can get the grid working again in a severe storm. However, some outages can last a long time, and you need to make sure you can survive.
What are the best ways to survive when the grid goes down? Here are some survival tips to guide you through things you can do to keep you, your family, and your community safe.
1. Find Light
When the power grid is down, you won’t have access to any light except during the day when the sun is shining. If the outage happens during the summer when the days are longer, this won’t be too much of a problem. However, the days are much shorter in other seasons, so you’ll be left in the dark if you don’t have light sources.
Stock up on flashlights, extra batteries, hand-crank lights, candles, and matches. Have a few light sources in each room so you can see.
2. Unplug All of Your Appliances
Once you source light, you can unplug the appliances that you won’t need if you have a generator. Anything with electrical circuitry needs to be unplugged to prevent any potential electrical damage. You could also shut off the main breaker. When power lines go down, a spike or surge in the line could damage your appliances, so this preventive measure could save you thousands of dollars.
3. Keep Your Food Cold
Your next survival tip is keeping your food cold. You likely have a fridge and freezer stocked with food. Resist opening it unless you absolutely need food out of the refrigerator or freezer. Make a mental list of food items you have in there and plan your meals for a prolonged power outage.
If there’s snow outside, move meats, dairy, eggs, and cheese to a cooler or other storage containers outside to keep it cool. You could also transfer frozen foods to the fridge, which will keep them cool.
4. Eat Food That Will Perish
Closely monitor the temperature. If it goes above 40°F, you need to use up perishable items. Meat, seafood, softer cheeses, cut fruits, and dairy products will only last a few hours at warmer temperatures before bacteria grows.
If you want to prepare in advance for a power outage, invest in a generator to keep your items cold or freeze water bottles to act as ice packs in your fridge. Keep a good supply of canned goods, too.
5. Use Your Off-Grid Cooking Supplies
Once the grid goes down, you won’t be able to use your stove, oven, microwave, or any other cooking equipment unless you own a generator. Invest in some off-grid cooking equipment and learn how to cook a meal using it.
You don’t have to rely on bread, canned goods, and dried fruit for months. Learn how to build a fire and cook over it, or light up a grill to cook your meats and perishable items.
6. Collect as Much Water as You Can
Next, you’ll want to source water. Pumps and valves will stop working, and you probably won’t get enough water pressure to keep the faucet running. As soon as you realize the power is out, collect water in pots, pans, jugs, or bottles. You could also stop up the drains in sinks and baths to collect water or put buckets under gutters. To prepare in advance, start collecting cases of water and stash them throughout your home.
7. Be Cautious With Flushing
You can’t really control your bowel movements or urge to urinate, and nature calls whether you have power or not. If you think the power will go out due to a storm, flush your toilets before the power is out. When it fails, you can rely on the saying, “if it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” Toilets probably won’t work in a long-term outage, so you can make your own with a bucket or out in nature if you live in a rural area.
8. Source Renewable Power Supplies
If you want to avoid a power outage, you can prepare by sourcing your energy and electricity from renewable resources. Many people opt to add solar power to their homes and properties. This way, they are entirely self-sufficient and can store extra power in a power bank. Another popular renewable energy source is wind energy. If you live in an area with high winds, you can benefit from a windmill or two. When everyone else doesn’t have power, you will.
9. Turn on Your Generator and Power Important Items
People who experience power outages frequently, whether because of storms or where they live, often have a standby backup generator or a portable generator.
Standby generators are an excellent investment because they can power a few necessary appliances using a natural gas supply and automatically kick on in the event of a power outage. Portable generators are a bit more affordable, but they won’t last very long and can’t power every appliance in your home.
10. Write Down Important Information
Another essential survival step for a power outage is to write down important information on paper. Your cell phone is likely your lifeline during an outage, and every time you use it, your battery percentage drops. You want to keep it charged as long as possible.
Therefore, write down numbers and addresses for hospitals, schools, storm shelters, or other public places that may have power. Additionally, switch your phone to power-saving mode.
11. Prepare a First-Aid Kit
Many families have a medicine cabinet somewhere in their home stocked with prescriptions, painkillers, and bandages. Take into account any kinds of medicines your family might need, too, like insulin or EpiPens.
A solid stock of first aid supplies can get you, your family, and your neighbors through a power outage, especially if an environmental disaster causes the blackout. Having access to everything you need medicinally in one place is beneficial when it’s dark.
12. Check on Your Neighbors
When you’re in survival mode after a prolonged power outage, you should be helping others, too. If you have neighbors who are older adults or have a disability, check in on them. Check on your other neighbors, too. Someone might have access to a generator and may allow you to charge your phone or keep some items cool from your fridge.
Additionally, a neighbor may know of an alternate location that is housing people without power. Rely on each other in these times.
13. Keep Yourself Busy
Keeping yourself and your family busy could be the thing that helps you survive when the grid goes down. You may notice that you feel a bit restless after only a few hours without power.
People are so used to relying on their phones, the internet, and other electronic devices for entertainment. Stock up on some forms of entertainment that don’t use electricity to keep you and your family entertained. Go for a walk, read a book, play some games, and stay busy.
14. Stay Warm or Cool
If the power goes out in a colder season, you’ll want to stay warm. Use heavy blankets to block your windows and wear layers of clothing. Start a fire if you have an indoor fireplace and chimney, and make sure your woodpile is sufficient to last at least a few weeks in case of an extended outage.
If it’s warm outside, go to the lowest levels in your home, like your basement. Spend time outdoors in the shade, and on a cooler day, open your windows for airflow.
15. Ensure You Have Enough Fuel
In preparation for a power outage, make sure you have enough fuel for your vehicle. Fill up a few 5-gallon gas containers with fuel so you have enough to get you places if you need to drive somewhere.
Be careful on the road as well. In a power outage, the traffic lights won’t work, and gas pumps will be down. Treat traffic lights as four-way stop signs and make sure you have enough fuel to get to where you’re going and then come back home.
16. Remember Your Pets
Another thing to consider is your pets or any other animals you may have on your property, like cattle. While your pets and livestock might not need electricity, in certain circumstances, they do. Animals can generally tolerate colder temperatures than humans. When the house gets too cold for people, though, it’s probably too cold for your pets, too.
Follow your pet’s regular routine and add extra food so they maintain body fat. Ensure they have water, too.
17. Focus on Immediate Threats
Finally, focus on immediate threats and tasks relevant to you and your family. Having electricity isn’t the most important thing. When you have the knowledge and supplies to survive a power outage, you can survive anything.
Focus on your immediate needs and safety. Anything that requires power, like entertainment or your air fryer, can wait. Stay comfortable, eat what you can, drink plenty of water, and wait it out until the power comes back on so you can get back to reality.
Always Be Prepared
The best way to survive a prolonged power outage is to be prepared ahead of time. While you have power and resources, stock up on basic necessities. It’s better to be prepared than to have nothing at all. You might want to learn how to survive without the grid anyway to be more sustainable.
[Note: This was a guest post.]
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