Prepare Your Home for a Power Outage

Whether you are planning ahead for a weather event such as a hurricane or just planning ahead for the unexpected, preparing your home for a power outage can mean the difference between getting by and getting by comfortably. Take the time now--before bad weather or another emergency zaps your electricity and leaves you in the dark--to prepare your home for being without power.

Alternative Lighting

When the power goes out the first thing most people notice is the absence of light. Planning ahead for an outage means having lighting alternatives on hand and ready to go when the electricity fails. This can be as simple and inexpensive as investing in flashlights and batteries, rechargeable lanterns and oil lamps (along with extra oil and matches) or as elaborate as creating a solar setup to power lights. Most importantly, make sure all flashlights and other such supplies are in a location that you can easily access in the dark.

Power Strips

Plugging electronic items and even lamps into power strips can save a little time when the power goes out. How? When you lose power, turn off the power strips to avoid power surges when the power returns. Having electric items plugging into strips can save you the hassle of unplugging and plugging multiple items.

Chargers

Cell phones and laptops are great, but only if the batteries are charged. Invest in a 12-volt inverter that can plug into your car's cigarette lighter. This type of inverter has a 110 outlet and some even have USB outlets. This can allow you to charge small electronic items from your car's battery in the event of an outage.

Cooking Alternatives

A propane-powered camp stove or a charcoal grill are great to have when you need to cook during a power outage. During a five-day outage in 2009, my family cooked every meal on our gas grill. Be sure to have plenty of propane on hand since you never know when an outage will occur.

A grill or camp stove can also cook water for washing dishes or purifying to drink.

Food and Refrigeration

Food and refrigeration is a big issue when the power goes out. There aren't many inexpensive alternatives to a regular refrigerator and freezer, but investing in one or more large coolers can go a long way toward keeping your food cool and safe. If you have room in your freezer, freeze extra ice for "just in case." Fill empty, clean milk jugs three-fourths full of water and freeze. These can help keep food in the coolers cool and as they melt they will provide drinking water.