How to Prepare for Electrical Emergencies

Create an Emergency Kit

Make a container filled with important tools and survival items that can be easily found in the dark during a sudden electrical issue. Flashlights, batteries, candles and water proof matches can help provide light, while basic electrical and construction tools like screwdrivers, pliers, voltage readers to help assist in exploring the source of your electrical problem. If you suspect that the outage is due to an internal electrical issue, it’s best to call for help from a professional electrician to avoid further damage or personal injury.

Have Emergency Food Storage Available

Some outages last a few hours, while some can last more than a week. It’s a good idea to prepare for the worst, by keeping enough non-perishable food items to feed your family for 7 days or more. This will ensure your loved ones will stay well fed, even if the refrigerator and oven aren’t working.

Store Important Phone Numbers

Keep emergency electrician contact information for the local fire department, police and utility company stored in your cell phones and in a physical address book. Having these numbers available in a crisis will allow you to quickly communicate with your electrical company and emergency professionals so you can remain informed about the cause of a wide spread outage.

Have a Way to Charge Your Smart Phone 

If the power goes out when your phone is dead, you won’t be able to make phone calls or communicate with friends and family outside the house. However, when you have a few fully charged portable power banks ready to go, you can keep your smart phone charged with ease. This will allow you to make important calls, keep track of weather conditions and follow local news reports.

Keep a 5 Gallon Can of Gas in a Safe Location

In outage emergencies that effect large numbers of people, you might decide it’s time to leave your house. During long term power failures, impending hurricanes and other emergency situations, people will travel to a different city or state and stay with friends and family or pay for a hotel room until it’s safe and convenient to return to your property. During such volitale circumstances, getting gas in your vehicle can take hours, and sometimes the stations will run out of gas altogether. Having 5 gallons of gas safely stored away will allow you to fill your tank enough to get safely outside your neighborhood. Make sure to replace your gas storage every few months to ensure it stays in good condition.

Install a Standby Generator

Of course, the best way to prepare for outages is to install a standby generator. If you own a business or live in an area with frequent storms and outages, then it’s an investment that’s well worth the effort. Unlike a portable generator, which is loud and dangerous to use indoors, a standby generator will automatically switch on – and can provide enough power to keep your entire property functioning normally until the electricity is restored. 

Need Help from a Certified Electrician in DFW? Call Mr. Electric of Dallas 

Are you struggling with a power failure caused by internal system issues? Have you decided to invest in a standby generator installation to avoid future outage problems? Then call the team at Mr. Electric of Dallas. We proudly offer residential and commercial electrical services in Dallas, University Park, Farmers Branch, Highland Park, North Dallas, Arlington, Lakewood, Oak Lawn, Lake Highlands, Inwood and other North Texas communities. Contact our experts to schedule your next appointment.