How to Prepare for a Power Outage
What do you do when the power is out? If you’re at home, you’re probably prepared. You either have everything you need, or you can pick up some candles when the local weather reports start looking dire. But is your weekend getaway as well-equipped? Things are a little different when you arrive at your home-away-from-home to find your power cords completely severed and coiled up in a nearby tree…
Uh-oh.
When we arrived at our Greene County double-wide last Wednesday at 5:30 pm, we realized that the power had been out for a week. Power outages were common in our original double-wide, so I knew what we needed to gather during the last hours of daylight, while we waited for Central Hudson to arrive. I’ll share power outage prep list at the end of this post, but first, I’ve got to give a shout-out to the electric company workers, who showed up within an hour of our call.
Central Hudson to the rescue!
We were very, very happy to see the Central Hudson truck. And then a second truck, when they realized they had to replace a 400-pound transformer, which was up in a tree across the road. While they worked, I lit the stove-top burners with a trusty barbecue lighter and made a pasta dinner to eat by candlelight.
For our kids, who are spending too much of their lives on screens, a couple of hours without power was a blessing in disguise.
A few hours later, the workers told us that they didn’t have the equipment they needed and would have to leave and send another truck. The temperature had dropped to 45 degrees, and I shuddered as the 2 trucks drove away, certain that they wouldn’t be back until morning. But I was wrong! They came back and worked until midnight to turn our power back on! I was curled up in bed with the kids and didn’t get to express my gratitude, so I hope someone from Central Hudson is reading this: THANK YOU SO MUCH, GUYS!
Central Hudson, our local electric company, worked through the night to restore our power.
Anyway, here’s a list of things you may want to have on hand, in case you arrive at a house that has lost power:
The name and phone number of your electric company posted in an accessible place
At least 1 flashlight in a very accessible place, like your kitchen junk drawer
A stash of candles and matches (I’m also a big fan of battery-operated flame-less candles, which are safer around little kids!)
A BBQ lighter so you can light your stovetop and oven pilot lights
Batteries for all your flashlights
Bonus points for a torch and/or headlamp (I put these on my Christmas list!)
A large pot or bucket that you can fill with water (our water pump is electric so the running water ran out quickly — a little water for boiling pasta and washing up helped a lot)
Warm clothes and blankets to make it through a cold night with no heat
Firewood, if you have a fire pit, wood-burning stove, or space for a campfire
The name of a local hotel or B&B, just in case!
Thanks to Central Hudson, we woke up in a toasty warm house and watched the most breathtaking sunrise from the front deck.
Sunrise over the Catskills
