One thing that can be incredibly frustrating for a family or an individual situated at home, or in particular working from home can be a power outage. These can be caused by many different methods. Who’s fault it is doesn’t matter, what matters is that you respond appropriately and intelligently.
1) Build a power outages kit
Being without electricity can be unfamiliar for some, harkening the lives of our ancestors’ ancestors. You can still include technology as part of your emergency package. Flashlights and spare batteries work wonders. Any type of battery powered items that you would like to use also would be great. Televisions and radios come to mind. Short and long range communication devices. A first aid kid in case someone is injured or needs medication.
If you’re in a smart home where door locks may be controlled by power, it’s important to have knowledge of how to operate the locks in such a scenario. Home where the garage is the primary entrance would similarly need to know how to unlatch the door and open it by hand.
2) Protect all of your electronics including home computer
Many people are using home computers for their normal work load, but in addition they are playing games, interacting online, mining crypto-currency or playing in virtual reality. Power surges and outages can fry home electronics plugged in. A surge protector is never a bad idea if your home doesn’t have one built in. Always keep a couple spare hard drives and back up your computers weekly if they are hard wired. It’s always better to be abundantly cautious than suffering dire consequences.
3) Have some electric generators on hand
Electric generators can be life savers if you really need electronics to work. With a generator you can charge your laptop and plug in different cooking utensils, even a microwave! Believe it or not, you can plug in your wifi router to a generator and continue using the internet net often times when your whole neighborhood and block is shut down. Talk about nice wifi speeds! It’s also advised that you must have some knowledge about your own place electrical lines.
Generators come in many sizes and shapes and can be had affordably. We recommend that homes have more than one emergency generator. This enables them to plug in refrigerators and freezers to keep food from spoiling.
4) Have an emergency contact list
You’ll want to notify the energy company first and foremost. Communicating with neighbors or loved ones about the situation and plan of action is always a benefit.
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