With the vast amount of storms across the nation, it’s not a bad idea to be prepared for a power outage in your apartment. Instead of running around your apartment in the dark trying to figure out what to do, have a plan set in place.
You should always keep a kit stored with supplies for a power outage. The kit should include a flashlight with working batteries, a battery operated radio, battery powered or wind up clock, water, small first aid kit and the telephone numbers of the maintenance staff, leasing office and Power Company.
Once you’ve located your flashlight, you need to unplug and turn off all lights and electrical appliances (excluding the refrigerator, freezer & one lamp). Doing this will allow you to tell when power has been restored to your apartment.
Another idea for you to do is check your circuit breaker or fuse box. It is usually a gray metal box on an interior wall of your apartment. Open the door of the panel and see if the circuit breaker is tripped or a fuse is blown. To reset a tripped breaker, move the switch all the way to “OFF,” then all the way back to “ON.” If you have any questions regarding your apartment’s electrical set up, check with the leasing office or maintenance staff.
One thing you should NOT do during the power outage is open the refrigerator or freezer. According to what I’ve heard, your food can stay cold for at least two hours if the doors to the fridge and freezer haven’t been opened. Regardless, be careful when eating food that was in the refrigerator or freezer without power for longer than two hours.
Having a plan set in place will make you much more prepared the next time your apartment loses power. That way next time will be a little less hectic!
Do you have any suggestions for what to do in a power outage?
