August 2012

Power Outage Safety

Last month, in July, portions of the eastern part of the US had lost its power for over a week with record high temperatures. The following is a list of safety tips combined from Rocky Mountain Power and Red Cross concerning power outages.

Keep food as safe as possible.

• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. First use perishable food from the refrigerator. An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold for about 4 hours.
• Then use food from the freezer. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.
• Use your non­perishable foods and staples after using food from the refrigerator and freezer.
• If it looks like the power outage will continue beyond a day, prepare a cooler with ice for your freezer items.
• Keep food in a dry, cool spot and keep it covered at all times.

 Electrical equipment

• Turn off and unplug all unnecessary electrical equipment, including sensitive electronics.
• Turn off or disconnect any appliances (like stoves), equipment or electronics you were using when the power went out. When power comes back on, surges or spikes can damage equipment.
• Leave one light turned on so you’ll know when the power comes back on.
• Eliminate unnecessary travel, especially by car. Traffic lights will be out and roads will be congested.

 Downed lines

• Call 911 immediately and then call Rocky Mountain Power, 1-877-508-5088 (toll free) if you see a downed power line. Don't touch it!
• Keep everyone, including pets, out of the area. You cannot look at a downed line and determine if it's "live."
• Do not touch a person if a power line is touching them. Immediately call 911.
• If a power line falls across your vehicle, stay in the car and wait for emergency personnel to cut the power. If your vehicle is on fire and you are in imminent danger and you must get out of the vehicle, JUMP – with both feet together—as far from the car as possible. If a part of your body touches the car and the ground at the same time, you could be electrocuted.

 Generator safety

·         If you use a portable electric generator, please do so with caution since generators can pose serious safety hazards when improperly used or installed. Remember to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

• Never plug your generator into an outlet and don't connect a generator directly to your home's main fuse box or circuit panel.
• If you must provide temporary power to your home's wiring system, the generator must be connected through an approved transfer switch that will isolate your house from our system. The switch must comply with the National Electric Code and local building codes. These include permits, inspection and installation by a licensed electrician.
• To temporarily power an appliance, plug it directly into the generator.
• Use properly sized and grounded extension cords and keep cords hidden so they don't present a tripping hazard.
• Always properly ventilate a portable generator. Gasoline-powered generators produce carbon monoxide and the fumes can be deadly.
• Make sure that the total electric load on your generator won't exceed the generator's rating.

In the house

• Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal ­burning devices inside a home or garage. Never use kerosene or propane heaters or stoves inside without proper ventilation. They create dangerous fumes. Also, don't use charcoal in your house or garage. If you have them outdoors, locate them away from doors, windows and vents that could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors.
• Install carbon monoxide alarms in central locations on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas to provide early warning of accumulating carbon monoxide.
• If the carbon monoxide alarm sounds, move quickly to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door.
• In the winter, preserve body heat by wearing multiple layers of clothing. Add a hat and blankets to stay warm. Blankets and towels around your windows and doors help keep the heat in. Also protect your pipes during freezing weather by wrapping them with insulation. Also, leave faucets dripping so water won't freeze and crack the pipes.
• If someone in your home is on life support, be sure to have a back-up system and a plan of action for an outage.

It's best to be prepared

·         Keep your cars always full of gas.

·         Keep a non-cordless phone in your home. They can work with the power out.

·         Have at least 2 coolers in your home. Styrofoam ones can work well.

·         Assemble an outage kit, including:

a)      A flashlight with extra batteries

b)      Battery-operated alarm clock and radio

c)      Ready-to-eat foods and manual can opener

d)      Bottled water

e)      Blankets

f)       First aid kit

January 2012

Our recent windstorm and lessons to be learned

Although last December's windstorm did not affect us severely here in Syracuse as in other parts of the county, it should be a clear wake up call of what could very easily happen here to us. Interestingly, our last Syracuse City emergency drill dealt with a microburst disaster. Do we actively participate in our city emergency drills or are they a bother to our busy schedule? Today I would like to list lessons learned from our recent windstorm and other things we can do to prepare  for this realistic disaster:

1.      Always keep your car at least half full of gas. When power is out, so are our gas stations.
2.      Stores may not help you out if they are out of power too.
3.      The city or county may not address your emergency problems right away.
4.      Prepare immediately for a long haul while you can. Find your flashlights, things to keep you warm and
      how you will deal without power for a while. Don't wait until night or when they are needed.
5.      Have several flashlights and batteries handy.
6.      Know how to check up on your family and loved ones if power is out.
7.      Keep you cell phones fully charged.
8.      Flashlight apps on cell phones were very handy but drain your battery down faster.
9.      Some people went without power for 5 days. Think of all the ways that would affect you in your home in
      December (food, refrigerators, stoves, furnaces, lights etc.)
10.  Having heavy duty visqueen plastic for roofs or windows on hand. Plywood pre-fitted for windows that
      blew out would have been nice for many people. 2x4's on hand could also be helpful.
11.  Duct tape, have lots of duct tape on hand.
12.  Know how to shut off your utilities and have numbers handy to call the gas, electric or water companies.
13.  Some people would benefit in having chainsaws with extra gas.
14.  Give a helping hand if you can, it's always appreciated.
15.  There are many other lessons that could be listed, but this is a start in getting one to think.
16.  Count your blessings. Things could have always been worse.

I challenge you to take some time in a family home evening and discuss how your family would handle such an event and work towards being better prepared.

July 2010

Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage Corner

Welcome again to our Preparedness Corner. Each month we feature preparedness tidbits and step by step ways to be better prepared for emergencies and to improve our homes with adequate food storage. This month will focus on Light.

JULY – Light

Purchase: 1. Flashlight (non-battery)

2. Oil Lamps

3. Canned candles (120 hour candles available)

4. Matches/lighters

Organize: Existing flashlights and batteries.

Learn: Safety with candles.

Notes on Light

Flashlights are the quickest and safest way to get light during an emergency. However batteries will become a problem (wears out or expires). It is better to store the batteries outside of the flashlight (see February 2010 Newsletter on battery storage). Non-battery flashlights are a must for quick dependable light. BoGo flashlights were recently purchased in our ward as a group buy and make an excellent emergency flashlight without worrying about fresh batteries. they can be purchased for about $25.00-$60.00. See the company website at: http://www.bogolight.com/productdetails.asp?productcode=bogogeneral .

Oil lamps are a little safer than open flame candles and provide a better light. The oil keeps very well. Candles in cans can be long lasting, inexpensive and are great for storage. They are the most dangerous and one must always be careful with open flames. Keep them away from flammables and do not use when there is a possibility of a gas leak. Light sticks are also a good for light and signaling and they can store well. Battery chargers for light can also be very helpful. Generators are always good and versatile but need a gas/fuel supply and good ventilation.

September Newsletter

2009 Preparedness Plan

September Summary

(taken from Syracuse 6th Ward Plan)

Spiritual Goal:

Strengthen your testimony by sharing it.

Emergency Preparedness Goal:

Add $20.00 in coin and small bills in your “cash stash”. You should have now

have $180.00.

Fire starting kit: candle, butane lighter, waterproof matches, etc.

Infant needs kit: (if you have a little one at home or someone with special needs, don’t forget the basics of what you’ll need for them).

Food Storage Goal:

Fuel: Candles, flashlights, batteries, matches

Condiments: Catsup, mustard, mayo, salad dressing

Fuel: Fuel should be a part of our basic storage plan. However, it is a real challenge to store fuel properly and safely. The most important way we use fuel is in the preparation of food. There are many emergency (non-electric) ways of cooking. Barbeque grills, camp stoves, Dutch ovens, portable can cooking devices and even solar ovens (fuel-less) can be used. All fuels will need good ventilation (must use outside) as they all need oxygen to burn and will give off toxic CO gas. Having several propane tanks in storage can provide many weeks of cooking with your barbeque grill or camp stove. Please be aware that propane and white gas can be very dangerous and explosive, so store them safely. Charcoal briquettes for Dutch ovens are much safer to store. With Dutch ovens, you can have warmth and cook just about anything with these ovens. There are also several types and sizes of canned heat. Solar ovens use the energy of the sun to cook and purify water. Its main disadvantage is that no cooking can be done when it is night and on bad weather days. We have some ward members that use them and I would encourage you to ask them how they work out for them.

Emergency Lighting: Flashlights are the most common form of emergency light. Having working batteries on hand is or biggest challenge. Please contact me, if you are interested, in an info sheet on battery storage. Lanterns usually give off more light and last longer than flashlights. Different types of lanterns are: propane, kerosene, candle and battery. Lightsticks are small, odorless and use no fuel. Some can last up to 12 hours. Candles are inexpensive and lightweight and have a long storage life. A combination of different light sources can be very helpful in an emergency situation.

Heat for living areas: Blankets and clothing will work just fine to stay warm. Woodstoves, fireplaces, kerosene and propane heaters can be used. Generators are great but fuel storage is the biggest issue.

Challenge:

As a family, take an inventory of your “fuel”. Do you have new batteries? Do you know where your flashlights are? Do they work? Do you have extra propane tanks for the BBQ grill? Do you have plenty of matches? Make this a fun activity for the whole family.