Power Outage Alarm

Power outages are a phenomenon increasingly common in the United States. I have lived more than I can count here in the St. Louis area, and also their experience in the Philippines.

Fortunately, my electricity has been restored in a few days, but some people go for a week or more.

And these are localized problems. The 2005 hurricanes stripped much of the Gulf region of the United States of its electrical infrastructure.

And the worst could happen. A broad breakdown of the system in the power grid in North America. A collapse of nuclear power. A pandemic of influenza that disables most of the workers who maintain the grid. deliberate action by terrorists.

Most local failures seem to occur in both summer (when the Midwest has many violent storms that blow trees and branches of trees, breaking power lines) and winter (when we have some ice storms that break power lines forming thick ice on them).

If your power is localized enough just drive to a nearby motel or house of family or friends. It depends on your location. In my old apartment complex, my building and most others have always lost power from storms, but the building nearest the street has been locked in another way, and its lights still stayed on. Frustrating.

In hot weather, if you can not sleep anywhere else, lead to a restaurant, movie theater or mall. Or drag him outside and have fun with your neighbors.

Clearly, this is a good idea to have flashlights and extra batteries somewhere for easy access. Flashlights are not easy to find in the dark, so keep them in a convenient location.

Be extremely careful with candles. I saw people burned out of their houses in the Philippines, where brownouts are still common, especially in the province. They lit a candle for light, and then fell asleep without saying. Not a good idea. If you light candles, burn them on before you fall asleep.

Have a radio on hand for the news. You can buy the radios that are crank and also come with cell phone chargers.

You can also buy flashlights that are powered by shaking up and down. However, your wrist and arm will be very tired, fast.

Unplug all your appliances to protect them against damage when the power returns. Keep a light to alert you.

If you lose power in winter, and it will be off for more than a few days and the temperature becomes very cold, you must protect your pipes.

Your plumbing has always water in it, ready to begin to move when you open the faucet.

If the water freezes, it expands. This creates a lot of pressure, cracks in pipes.

It can be set when the power is back, but it's very expensive.

To ensure that you do not have a bill with four counts plumbing later, cutting the water entering your home or apartment. Turn off your electric water heater.

Open all faucets in your house and let the water run. Save it in bottles in case.

Flush your toilet. Drain your water heater.

Your home may be pockets where the water pipe remains. Check with a plumber about this, and what you need to do to protect them. Make sure you have a pipe wrench good practice.

If you still come to work every morning is also a good idea to have an awakening of the liquidation. If you need an electric alarm to wake you up in time, you'll be late.

We hope that you'll never need this advice, but you better be prepared.