What To Do And What Not Do In A Power Outage

It seems Power outages occur at the most inopportune time, which, come to think of it, is any time, honestly. However simple a power outage may seem, there are several things that should be done as well as several things that shouldn't be done during this 'mini crisis' as it can turn into.

Donot panic. Especially if you have children - freaking out is not the best course of action. Losing your electricity even for an hour or two is not the end of the world. After all, people lived easily 200 and more years ago without it, you can survive fine for a few hours or at worst, a few days. If it's during the day there are plenty of things you can do. You can read, you can go outside and do yardwork (obviously depending on weather, if it's winter it would make a great family play day) or even sit and tell stories. If it's at night, depending on what light sources you have available, you can tell ghost stories or even get a chance to catch up on some sleep.

Be certain you have emergency flashlights, candles or lanterns easily accessible at all times - power outage or not. If the lights go out you don't want to risk falling over or into something and hurting yourself. Make sure your children know that these items are for emergency only and to never light the candles. Leave those up to the adults, but make sure the children know where the flashlights are. IF these are needed make sure you have a space for any candles or lanterns that will be a secure position to prevent a fire from breaking out. Also remind any young ones to keep a safe distance away from these items. Power outages may be dangerous if you're unprepared, however, fire is obviously worse.