To prepare for an outage is a better way to manage it, as it has reportedly affected households and thrown an area into panic. And in most cases, it can last more than a day or even weeks depending on the nature of the damage. Preparing for it can save you from prancing around for endless solutions. So, what do you need to know and do when there is an outage in your area?
What do You need to Know When There is an Outage In Your Area?
There is some knowledge you need to have about outages in your area that will help you during this downtime and alongside determine actions you need to take. You need to know the type of outage, which might entail placing a call to your local Transmission and Distribution Service Provider (TDSP) to report and know the cause of the outage. And outages could take the form of;
Types Of Outages
There are four major types of outages and these outage types are treated differently and there are;
Blackout
Blackout is a large-scale power failure that cuts off power to an area. This is the most severe type of outage that can last for weeks, because of its major damage to facilities, caused by natural disasters like wild storms, freezing rains, heat waves or lightning strikes.
Brownout
Brownouts are when there is a drop in power voltage, resulting in underperformance of certain electrical equipment that require high or certain amounts of voltage to function maximally. Brownouts do not cause a complete power loss.
Permanent Fault
This is as a result of sudden power loss, caused by power line faults. Permanent fault doesn’t last long as power is restored as soon as the fault is fixed and it doesn’t affect a large area, rather it is limited to a few houses, being a supply mechanism problem.
Rolling Blackouts
Rolling blackouts are intentional rotational schemes adopted to balance power supply and demand in distribution regions. And because there is high demand in power, which overrides supply, power supply is distributed in batches through rotation. So, the power company turns off electricity to selected areas to save power for a select period, in most cases specifically for an hour and then the power is restored and another area is turned off. And this happens during peak energy usage periods.
What do You need to Do When There is an Outage In Your Area?
Knowing what to do when there is an outage in your area and this makes you handle the situation better and keeps you in control. And you do this bearing in mind the length of the outage at the backdrop of the outage type. So, you need to have emergency kits for this period of downtime, starting from flashlights, batteries for your portable radio to keep tune with happenings around, first aid supplies etc And these kits should be kept in areas it can easily be reached and assembled before the outage. Also make sure you have alternative charging options. Asides these first-aid methods, there are other things you need to do, thus;
Disconnect Appliances
Disconnecting your appliances should be one of the first things you need to do when there is an outage in your area. It prevents harm or damage to your appliances as a result of power surge.
Check Reports On Radio
This is the period you need to keep tuned to your radio, to get weather reports and get information as regards what government or power company is doing to fix the outage or plans to mitigate the effects on the people.
Use Your Generator Safely
Powering your house using a generator requires it is done safely and done bearing in mind policies on generator usage. You need to call a licensed operator to help you connect and power your house under the safest conditions.
Protect Your Family and Your Foods
While in this period of outage, you need to make sure your family is well protected. There are no rules to keeping them safe, but make sure they are kept away from spots that could pose as dangers to them, taking special measures for babies, toddlers, the elderly and those with medical conditions.
What to eat needs to be preserved and certain measures should be in place to keep some of them in good conditions that will extend its shelf life till power is restored. Like keeping the refrigerator closed and even when in use it should be immediately closed after usage.
The list is endless of the things you need to do when there is an outage in your area, but do know that you need your peace of mind during this downtime so, anything needed to sustain it should be added to this to-do-list.
