"Be Ready" Power Outages

Keneisha Deas: "Did you know that more than 3,800 power outages reported every year,

affects some 18 million people across the U.S.? Well, most of the time that

power can be restored within minutes or hours. However, prolonged power outages

due to inclement weather or natural disasters is not only an inconvenience,

it can be dangerous. In this video we'll learn how to 'Be Ready' in the event of a

prolonged power outage."

[music] "Prevent" "Prepare" "Respond" "Recover"

[Air Force Emergency Management logo]

[car passing]

Keneisha: "I'm at Tyndall Air Force Base with power production expert Senior Master Sergeant Herringshaw.

He's with us to explain how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a power outage.

Sergeant Herringshaw how does that electricity get from the power plant to our homes?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Well, from the power plant it goes through a series

electrical lines and it comes to substations and transformers like this one here.

From there it will travel to your house, to a transformer where it's used

to step it down to a useful voltage."

Keneisha: "What could cause damage resulting in a power outage?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Smaller outages tend to be caused by localized weather events,

[Thunder]

or a car hitting a power pole, or even a rodent chewing up the insulation on the power lines.

However, natural disasters, terrorist incidents,

or man-made accidents may cause power outages that could last much

longer and affect a much larger area."

Keneisha: "Wow, you mentioned natural disasters;

what are some of those natural disasters that could cause damage in certain areas of the U.S.?"

SMGT Herringshaw: "Well in the northern states you tend to have high winds from winter

storms or snow and ice breaking electrical lines. In the midwest you have

tornadoes that tear through those same types of power lines or even a substation.

[strong wind sound]

And in costal areas you'll have hurricanes or tsunamis that can damage

the grid for a long period of time.

In 2017, Hurricane Irma hit Puerto Rico.

It devastated it and caused widespread outages and they lasted for a very long time,

because crews were delayed due to blocked or washed out roads, lack of

equipment, or other delays in their recovery operations."

Keneisah: "Wow, those are some serious problems.

What can we expect to happen during a power outage?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Well, of course anything that runs on electricity will not work.

So your heating or air conditioning will not be operating. So you have to find a better way to keep cool.

Appliances such as refrigerators and microwaves won't work, so preparing

and storing food will be very difficult. And if you have a medical device that

runs on electricity, such as a CPAP or a dialysis machine, you could

have a medical emergency on your hands. If you do need to go out be very careful.

There will be downed electrical lines you’ll need to avoid, traffic lights will not be working

and if you don't have cash you could be in trouble as well, because ATMs

won't be working either and stores many times will not be able to process any

credit card transactions."

Keneisha: "That's very thoughtful. A lot of things to consider there. What can I do?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Air force bases have some sort of plan developed, so the best thing to do

is develop your own plan. So let's go to my house and see what I've done to

prepare for the next power outage."

[music]

Keneisha: "So we talked about some of the challenges we may face during a power outage,

but what can we do to minimize the impact of these problems?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Well, the first thing you need to do is build a plan,

and a preparedness kit with enough cash, food, water, and supplies

to last you, your family, and your pet for three to five days."

Keneisha: "So I see you have a lot of supplies here. What is the most important

thing to have in an emergency kit?"

SMSG Herringshaw: "Water is the most importhant thing to have in the emergency kit.

The human body can last about eight weeks without any food,

but only three to five days without water.

During an outage it could be very difficult

to restock your water, so you want to have roughly one gallon of water

per person, per day, in your preparedness kit. This here has about three gallons."

Keneisha: "So I'm guessing this will last someone about three days."

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Yes."

Keneisha: "So obviously we have food here and I know we can last a longer period of time without it,

but it's also important to store the food for longer periods of time.

How do we do that if the refrigerator or freezer does not have power?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Well it's very important to have canned soups, vegetables,

and dry goods in your preparedness kit.

You need to make sure have enough to last you through the duration of an outage.

And always remember to have a manual can opener."

Keneisha: "Okay, well how do we heat this food up?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "A grill or some sort of burner would be a very good option.

But make sure you operate it safely: don't operate it inside or near your house,

away from children and pets, and never leave it unattended."

Keneisha: "Okay, common sense- something good to have.

I see we have here flashlight, batteries, do you recommend candles?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "No, I don't. They can create a potential fire hazard in an already stressful situation."

Keneisha: "I see you also have here prescription drugs and a first-aid kit."

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Yes, they are very important. Most first-aid kits can treat

basic injuries that may occur. But if you need prescription medications

it is a good idea to have them in the kit as well."

Keneisha: "Okay, and what if you want to stay updated on the local news?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "A radio with extra batteries will help keep you

updated what's going on. Local authorities will use radio stations that have

backup power to post updates to the people."

Keneisha: "So what about small children or pets?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Well if you have children or pets, you definitely want to throw something

in your kit for them. Without power, you're not going

to have games or the web to be able to entertain them. So a board game, checkers

or whatever they like to do would be very helpful. You also want to have

emergency contact numbers for local hospitals, poison control, and things of

that nature saved your cell phone."

Keneisha: "So it's a good thing that you brought up mobile phones...

what if we want to charge them or medical devices that require power?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Well, it's important to have some sort of backup power source.

With cell phones and other devices like that you can use a small re-charger, use your car,

or you can even go to a shelter that has backup power. If you need to charge

an appliance or medical device you may need to purchase a generator."

Keneisha: "So you mentioned generators. What are some of the things that we look for in purchasing one?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Well, there's so many considerations to take into account,

safety being one, so let's go outside and kind of go over those items."

Keneisha: "All right."

[music]

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Well before you purchase a generator you want to make sure to consult

an electrician to make sure it can handle the loads that you need it to be able to do.

Also, consult the owner's manual to make sure that you operate it safely. A few tips would be:

don't run it near open windows or in your house - you can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

Lastly, make sure you have enough fuel on-hand to last for three to five days.

Generally speaking five gallons will last you about eight hours.

You can extend this runtime by shutting the generator off when you don't need to use it."

Keneisha: "Okay, that sounds pretty simple.

Is there anything else we need to prepare for a power outage?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Simple things like knowing how to use your release lever on your garage door opener,

filling up your gas tank before severe storms, and having plenty of cash on hand

are simple ways you can prepare for a power outage."

Keneisha: "So we're finally prepared for a power outage,

what can we do to make things a little bit more comfortable?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Well if it's hot outside, open your windows, stay in the shade,

and drink plenty of water. If it's cold, put on more clothes, layer up with blankets.

This will help keep you warmer. Also don't use charcoal or gas grill in your house.

This can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. You may want to consider going

to a movie theater or the mall or even a shelter if they're open. But be careful

of down power lines. Lastly, make sure you turn off your electronics and turn off

your circuit breakers at your house. This will prevent any damage from returning power surges."

Keneisha: "So I know we have canned goods and non-perishable food in our

preparedness kit, but what about the food that's in the fridge?"

SMSGT Herringshaw:" Well the best thing to do is keep your refrigerator and freezer door shut.

This will prolong how long your food can last. Moving such items such as milk, cheese, and other

perishables to the freezer at the beginning of a power outage may extend

the amount of time before they spoil.

[freezer door closes]

You can also eat your perishables before they spoil and save your non-perishables for later."

Keneisha: "OK, and how long does it take for that food to spoil?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "If unopened, using the refrigerator it will be about

four hours and in your freezer about 48 hours."

Keneisha: "So once the power outage is over,

how can we tell if the food in the fridge is still safe to eat?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Well you want to inspect your perishables and throw away anything

that's been exposed to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or four degrees Celsius for two

hours or more. Also throw anything away that has a funny smell, it doesn't look right,

or has an odd texture. If food in the freezer is colder than 40 degrees Fahrenheit

and has ice crystals on it, you can refreeze it."

Keneisha: "Is there anything else that we need to do once power is restored?"

SMSGT Herringshaw: "Well, as you go out and about, be cautious of power lines. Just because you have

power back doesn't mean everybody else does. Also, streetlights could still be

out at that point. Lastly, this is a perfect time to restock your kit.

Get new supplies such as batteries and non-perishable foods. And if you have any

questions about your medications being safe, contact your doctor."

[glitch effect] [Air Force Emergency Management logo]

Keneisha: "Hopefully this information will better help you prepare for what to do

before, during, and after a power outage.

For more information, visit your installation's Office of Emergency Management,

or the 'Be Ready' website, download the 'Be Ready' mobile app,

or pick up an Air Force Emergency Preparedness Guide.

I'm Keneisha Deas reporting for the Emergency Management Division

of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center.

Stay Safe and 'Be Ready!'"

[music]

[Air Force Emergency Management logo]