Power Outage Preparedness - Rogue's 31 Days To Readiness [Day 9]

Have you seen day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, day 7 and day 8?

My first experience with feeling helpless was during a blackout. I was in my mid-20s, not prepared, not a care in the world. The only other time I had experienced a blackout was when I was a child and it didn’t phase me at all.

As a mid-20s adult with a Blackberry (the cell phone, remember Blackberry?) that was dying and no idea how to charge it without electricity, I was awoken to the world of preparedness!

Call it silly, but not being able to charge my cell phone was the thing that made me go, “Huh, there’s GOTTA be a way to keep my phone charged without electricity.”

I wasn’t popular at all, I had no one clambering to text or call me, I had no reason to care so much about my phone…but our phones are a key to communicating with others. When that’s taken away, your next resort is to talk to your neighbor! Heaven forbid!

Hah. You get what I’m saying. It doesn’t matter how silly it was so be so worried about not being able to charge my phone, it was what got me interested in preparedness.

It wasn’t until a year or so later that I seriously got into preparedness with my now-husband.

That was well over 10 years ago.

Blackouts are one of the major events that people prep for.

Blackouts can happen for so many different reasons.

Natural disaster
Car crash
Thunder storm
And more

However, when we think about a blackout, we are comforted in knowing that it will likely be turned back on that same day, within hours.

Except when it doesn’t. The power companies work hard to resolve issues after they’ve been reported. However, there are many, many instances in which they can’t or won’t.

PG&E turned off power for days to prevent wild fires.

During hurricanes or other devastating natural disasters that destroy communities, lights may not return for days, even weeks.

For many, a blackout isn’t as simple as sitting back and reading a book with a headlamp and waiting patiently.

For those who rely on power to survive, such as in hospitals, clinics, transportation and even with the water service; deaths can, and have, occurred due to blackouts.

In the United States, blackouts are generally localized, but in places like Venezuela, they’ve had national rolling blackouts since 2019.

Think that can’t happen where you live?

It most certainly can. In the United States, our electrical grid is vulnerable on many levels.

Here’s how we can be prepared for short term, and long term, blackouts:

Be prepared with the basics of food and water for at least 2 weeks.
Be ready to purify water if needed.
Have alternative cooking options ready to go.
Keep a well stocked first aid kit, this would include any additional medications needed.
Have plenty of headlamps, candles, flashlights, glow sticks and other lighting, in addition to lighters, matches and batteries.
Have plenty of entertainment options available for the whole household.
Consider a generator or other type of alternative energy source to keep your fridge and/or freezer running as needed, as well as the fuels needed.
If you have a medical condition that requires electricity, such as CPAP machine, have extra batteries available, plus someway to charge the batteries (using the aforementioned alternative energy).
During the summer, know alternative ways to keep cool.
In addition, during the winter, understand alternative ways to keep warm.
Keep your phone charged with alternative charging methods.
Speaking of communication, understand some alternative communication options.
Don’t let your guard down; during times of crisis, people might take advantage of the situation. Be safe with self-defense, situational awareness and home security.
Keep a blackout checklist to stay on track, especially during stressful times.
Refer to your emergency disaster plan regularly, especially if you feel the need to evacuate.
Be ready for home or car repairs if needed.

Take a look at your everyday life and how it might be affected due to no electricity.

Keep in mind, that while city water may flow for a time after a blackout, if it turns into a long term situation, water may stop flowing. Use the water from the faucet for as long as possible before diving into your water storage. That is, if the water is safe to drink.

See you in day 10!

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