Power Outage Safety Tips for Your Home and Family

Plymouth Rock has these helpful tips to protect your home, appliances, and family during a power outage.

Use Generators Safely

Many people turn to their portable generators if they lose power. Being safe while using them is key. Remember not to operate them indoors or in confined areas. Doing so could lead to serious issues with smoke inhalation, fire hazards, and carbon monoxide poisoning. If you are using a gasoline-powered generator make sure to store gasoline in UL approved cans away from the generator. Never smoke near gasoline.

Stay Hydrated Safely

In the event of a long period of time without power, your drinking water may become contaminated. Your safest and best bet is to drink bottled water. In the event bottled water is not available, you can boil water for one minute to make sure it is safe to drink.

Use Candles Cautiously

We urge residents to use flashlights and battery operated lanterns instead of candles because of the increased fire hazard associated with candles. If you must use candles, please make sure to keep them away from any flammable material, pets, and children. Always place candles in sturdy metal, glass or ceramic holders and never leave burning candles unattended.

Unplug Your Devices

When you lose power, it’s important that you unplug all your electronic devices like computers, stereos, microwaves, televisions, etc., to protect them from a power surge when your power is restored.

Protect Your Pipes

If you lose power during winter or cold weather, one simple solution to protect pipes from freezing is to allow running water to dribble or drip from the taps at the highest and lowest points of your home. The running water will make it difficult for the pipe to freeze. Please note, if you are on a well system and without power, running your water may deplete the remaining water available to the household, so consider using this method sparingly.