DIY guidePower outages

Power may go: get ready for an outage

Charge up, put out flashlights, know where the main breaker is, and keep the fridge shut, so an outage is an inconvenience and not a scramble.

8 steps

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Charge phones, power banks and battery lights while you still have power.
Put a flashlight with fresh batteries in each room people sleep in. Flashlights are safer than candles.
Find the main breaker, the big one at the top of the breaker box, so you know where it is. Touch it only if the power company says to.
Fill a few jugs with drinking water, and fill gaps in the freezer with containers of water: a full freezer stays cold longer.
When the power goes, unplug the TV and computer so the surge when it comes back can't hit them. Leave one lamp on to tell you.
Keep the fridge and freezer doors shut. Shut, a fridge stays cold for hours.
If you run a portable generator, it stays outside, well away from windows and doors.
Never run it in the house, the garage or a porch: its exhaust holds carbon monoxide, which you can't smell.
A power line down, sparks at the meter, or your house dark while the neighbours have power: stay back and call the power company.

Handyman says: Line down? Call the power company.

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