| Power line failure |
Members that are prepared for a power
outage are also prepared for many other
types of disasters. Extra emphasis to power
outages is given in this section because of its
universal application in every emergency.
Members are strongly encouraged to be
prepared for a power outage, and should test
their ability to cope with a disaster when they
happen. Food, water, heat and light are basic
essentials to have on hand during a power
outage or any emergency.
A power outage can be caused by a simple
downed power line. However, weather
conditions such as high winds, ice and snow,
can also cause power failures. During a
severe power outage, members may be
directed to stay in your apartment or home
and use it for a “shelter in place”. Keep a 72
hour kit on hand with an emergency radio
tuned to a local station for information
(weather and/or news) (such as KSL (1160 AM
or 102.7 FM) or KBYU (89.1 FM)). Your 72
hour kit should also have enough food and
water to last at least 72 hours. For longer
power outages, which have been reported as
lasting a week or longer, use your 3 month
supply. If you should have items that you
need, contact your home teacher. If you are
unable to do so, contact friends or family
members that are nearby instead. If your
needs are urgent, and of an emergency in
nature, call 911.
Refrigeration
All common home refrigerators run on
electricity. Without it, food spoils rather
quickly in warm weather. If you have a power
outage in the winter, you can move the most
perishable items in the snow (if you have
snow). However, if the power outage happens
in the spring, summer or fall, then the most
essential foods can be moved to a small
cooler as long as there is ice available to keep
them cool. We suggest that people keep as
least two bags of ice in their freezer at all time
so that they can be used to keep essential
foods from spoiling. If the power outage is in a
large area, the stores will also be out of
electricity and also out of ice.
Generators
If you are thinking of a generator, remember
that generators take fuel. In a power outage,
gas stations will not be able to pump fuel. If
there is a limited supply of fuel it may be put to
a better purpose, such as driving someone to
the hospital. So, if you plan on getting a
generator, remember that a small generator,
rated at no more than 1000 watts, and no less
than 800 watts will power a refrigerator and
some lights. But you should store at least 15
gallons of gasoline. It simply may be more
hassle than its worth.
Cooking
If you plan to cook some meals, you won’t be
able to use an electric stove. A camp stove is
a good alternative or even an outside
barbecue with a side burner will work. Camp
stoves can be found for very little money,
some even under $30. Most of them run on
small propane bottles that can easily be
stored. You’ll need at least one small bottle
per day for cooking warming up or cooking a
family meal twice a day. You also need to
store a way to light the stove. Both lighters
and matches should also be stored as a
means to light the stove. The less you cook
the better! The more you cook, the more pots
and pans need to be washed with you
precious supply of water.
Purifying Contaminated Water
The best way to avoid the problems
associated with contaminated water is to have
your own water storage before a disaster
happens. Generally speaking, you can base
your storage water needs on one gallon
(roughly 4 liters) of water per person per day
for drinking and hygiene use. If you should
find that your water supply is non-existent, you
should consider emergency methods to purify
the existing sources of water you do find.
If the power is out, it’s possible that your city
water is not being purified. If you have a well
on your property, with no electricity, the pump
won’t work. If this happens, you’ll need to find
city water, or another source of water, and
purify it. Boiling water is one way of purifying
it. The method below uses the boiling
technique as well as chorine bleach to purify it
after boiling.
A. Filter water using a piece of cloth or a
coffee filter to remove solid particles.
B. Bring water to a rolling boil and maintain for
a minimum of 10 minutes. For every 1000 feet
above sea level, add one minute of boiling to
the initial 10 minutes. If the water pot is
covered, it will shorten the time to reach a boil.
C. Let it cool at least 30 minutes. Water must
be cool for next step (chlorine treatment) or it
will be useless.
D. Treat the water: You can use Liquid
Chlorine Bleach to purify water. This method
must be 5.25% or 6% Sodium Hypochlorite
(like Clorox Regular Bleach) and contain NO
soap, fragrance or phosphates. Measuring by
drops is more accurate and the preferred
method. If want to purify 1 GALLON / 4
LITERS of water, add 16 drops (1/4 tsp. / 1.25
ml) chlorine. If you want to purify 5 GALLONS
/ 19 LITERS WATER, Add 80 drops (1 tsp. /
5ml) chlorine.
E. Let it stand for 30 minutes.
F. If it smells of chlorine, use it. If it does not
have a chlorine scent, add 16 more drops of
chlorine bleach per gallon of water (or 8 drops
per 2-liter bottle of water), let stand 30
minutes, and smell it again. If it smells of
chlorine, use it. If it does not, discard it and
find another source of water.
Also, if you use too much water for hygiene,
you’ll have less to drink. So, you might
consider storing some sanitizing gel to wash
your hands with. We also suggest that you
keep storage of disposable plates, cups, forks
and knives. The less water is used to wash
dishes, the more that will be available for more
important needs. How much is needed for
Sanitation? In a short term emergency, the
biggest concern is how to flush toilets. That’s
why we suggest that you fill you bath tubs with
water immediately following a power outage
and keep them full and use this water to flush
toilets. Pool water can also be used.
Remember this water should be considered
non-drinkable, but serves its purpose for
flushing toilets in the short term. If you use
this method, you’ll need a bucket to move the
water from the bath tub to the toilet.
Continued on the next column
outage are also prepared for many other
types of disasters. Extra emphasis to power
outages is given in this section because of its
universal application in every emergency.
Members are strongly encouraged to be
prepared for a power outage, and should test
their ability to cope with a disaster when they
happen. Food, water, heat and light are basic
essentials to have on hand during a power
outage or any emergency.
A power outage can be caused by a simple
downed power line. However, weather
conditions such as high winds, ice and snow,
can also cause power failures. During a
severe power outage, members may be
directed to stay in your apartment or home
and use it for a “shelter in place”. Keep a 72
hour kit on hand with an emergency radio
tuned to a local station for information
(weather and/or news) (such as KSL (1160 AM
or 102.7 FM) or KBYU (89.1 FM)). Your 72
hour kit should also have enough food and
water to last at least 72 hours. For longer
power outages, which have been reported as
lasting a week or longer, use your 3 month
supply. If you should have items that you
need, contact your home teacher. If you are
unable to do so, contact friends or family
members that are nearby instead. If your
needs are urgent, and of an emergency in
nature, call 911.
Refrigeration
All common home refrigerators run on
electricity. Without it, food spoils rather
quickly in warm weather. If you have a power
outage in the winter, you can move the most
perishable items in the snow (if you have
snow). However, if the power outage happens
in the spring, summer or fall, then the most
essential foods can be moved to a small
cooler as long as there is ice available to keep
them cool. We suggest that people keep as
least two bags of ice in their freezer at all time
so that they can be used to keep essential
foods from spoiling. If the power outage is in a
large area, the stores will also be out of
electricity and also out of ice.
Generators
If you are thinking of a generator, remember
that generators take fuel. In a power outage,
gas stations will not be able to pump fuel. If
there is a limited supply of fuel it may be put to
a better purpose, such as driving someone to
the hospital. So, if you plan on getting a
generator, remember that a small generator,
rated at no more than 1000 watts, and no less
than 800 watts will power a refrigerator and
some lights. But you should store at least 15
gallons of gasoline. It simply may be more
hassle than its worth.
Cooking
If you plan to cook some meals, you won’t be
able to use an electric stove. A camp stove is
a good alternative or even an outside
barbecue with a side burner will work. Camp
stoves can be found for very little money,
some even under $30. Most of them run on
small propane bottles that can easily be
stored. You’ll need at least one small bottle
per day for cooking warming up or cooking a
family meal twice a day. You also need to
store a way to light the stove. Both lighters
and matches should also be stored as a
means to light the stove. The less you cook
the better! The more you cook, the more pots
and pans need to be washed with you
precious supply of water.
Purifying Contaminated Water
The best way to avoid the problems
associated with contaminated water is to have
your own water storage before a disaster
happens. Generally speaking, you can base
your storage water needs on one gallon
(roughly 4 liters) of water per person per day
for drinking and hygiene use. If you should
find that your water supply is non-existent, you
should consider emergency methods to purify
the existing sources of water you do find.
If the power is out, it’s possible that your city
water is not being purified. If you have a well
on your property, with no electricity, the pump
won’t work. If this happens, you’ll need to find
city water, or another source of water, and
purify it. Boiling water is one way of purifying
it. The method below uses the boiling
technique as well as chorine bleach to purify it
after boiling.
A. Filter water using a piece of cloth or a
coffee filter to remove solid particles.
B. Bring water to a rolling boil and maintain for
a minimum of 10 minutes. For every 1000 feet
above sea level, add one minute of boiling to
the initial 10 minutes. If the water pot is
covered, it will shorten the time to reach a boil.
C. Let it cool at least 30 minutes. Water must
be cool for next step (chlorine treatment) or it
will be useless.
D. Treat the water: You can use Liquid
Chlorine Bleach to purify water. This method
must be 5.25% or 6% Sodium Hypochlorite
(like Clorox Regular Bleach) and contain NO
soap, fragrance or phosphates. Measuring by
drops is more accurate and the preferred
method. If want to purify 1 GALLON / 4
LITERS of water, add 16 drops (1/4 tsp. / 1.25
ml) chlorine. If you want to purify 5 GALLONS
/ 19 LITERS WATER, Add 80 drops (1 tsp. /
5ml) chlorine.
E. Let it stand for 30 minutes.
F. If it smells of chlorine, use it. If it does not
have a chlorine scent, add 16 more drops of
chlorine bleach per gallon of water (or 8 drops
per 2-liter bottle of water), let stand 30
minutes, and smell it again. If it smells of
chlorine, use it. If it does not, discard it and
find another source of water.
Also, if you use too much water for hygiene,
you’ll have less to drink. So, you might
consider storing some sanitizing gel to wash
your hands with. We also suggest that you
keep storage of disposable plates, cups, forks
and knives. The less water is used to wash
dishes, the more that will be available for more
important needs. How much is needed for
Sanitation? In a short term emergency, the
biggest concern is how to flush toilets. That’s
why we suggest that you fill you bath tubs with
water immediately following a power outage
and keep them full and use this water to flush
toilets. Pool water can also be used.
Remember this water should be considered
non-drinkable, but serves its purpose for
flushing toilets in the short term. If you use
this method, you’ll need a bucket to move the
water from the bath tub to the toilet.
Continued on the next column
| Power Outage & General Emergencies |
| Resources |
CNN News Story - New York Blackout
CDC - What to do when the power is out
USDA - Keeping Food Safe During an Emer-
gency
gency
LDS Church - Here is a link to the Provident
Living section of the church website. Very good
info!
Living section of the church website. Very good
info!
Here are some resources that are available on
the web in regards to Power outages
the web in regards to Power outages
By: Staff
Last Reviewed: December 30, 2007
Last Reviewed: December 30, 2007
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| PART 1 - Power Outage - 2003 (Canada News) |
| PART 2 - Power Outage - 2003 (Canada News) |
| PART 3 - Power Outage - 2003 (Canada News) |
| "Helping everyone prepare for the unexpected" |
| LDSReady Site Search |
| Copyright © 2007-2008 LDSReady.org. All rights reserved - Terms of use |
why we suggest that you fill you bath tubs with
water immediately following a power outage
and keep them full and use this water to flush
toilets. Pool water can also be used.
Remember this water should be considered
non-drinkable, but serves its purpose for
flushing toilets in the short term. If you use
this method, you’ll need a bucket to move the
water from the bath tub to the toilet.
Candles & Flashlights
Flashlights are handy for when you want to
direct light at a certain spot, and are very safe
when you need to carry a light from place to
place. Keep several flashlights with extra sets
of batteries so there is at least one per every
two people in your house. If they use the
same size of batteries, then you’ll only need to
store one type. Flashlights don’t work well for
lighting a room for a long period of time. For
that, we recommend candles in glass jars,
which are safer than bare candles. Store
plenty of them and a way to light them.
Telephones
Local telephone companies have a battery
back up system that helps them keep phones
working for at least several hours. However,
most of these telephone central offices do
NOT have a generator. So, once the battery
back up system is depleted, local phones will
no longer work. It’s important to get your calls
taken care of in the beginning of an electrical
outage. Call your Home and Visiting teachers
as soon as possible in the beginning of a
power outage. Many people would rather rely
on cell phones. Cell phone towers also have a
battery back up and may not have generators.
Cash on hand
When the power is out, ATMs and computers
and the networks they operate on will not
work. Therefore, it’s important to keep at least
$20 of cash per person on hand.
Radio
For news and information, a good portable
radio with extra batteries is a good thing to
have on hand. Tune to listen for local news
and information (such as KSL (1160 AM or
102.7 FM) or KBYU (89.1 FM)).
Family Communications
In the event of total cell phone/land line failure
such as a long term power failure, we
recommend each family has a least a set of
FRS to serve as a back-up communications
method between family members. Family
Radio Service (FRS) is one of the Citizens
Band Radio Services. It is used by family,
friends and associates to communicate within
a neighborhood and while on group outings. It
has a communications range of less than one
mile. You can not make a telephone call with
an FRS unit. You can talk to other family
members or friends within its range.
FRS radios have a set of channels (1-14) with
a subset of interference eliminator codes (1-
39) (or more depending on brand and model)
which leaves at least 546 privacy possibilities.
For example, if you wished to talk to someone,
you would need to know in advance what
channel and what interference eliminator code
they were using. Then, simply tune your FRS
radio to that, and FRS communications would
be possible.
FRS radios do not work well when large
groups of people are close together all trying
to use the radios to communicate between
their respective family members on the same
channel. In an emergency, this is a possibility
at evacuation centers. This is also true with
any two-way radio, including HAM radios, but
because of the limited number of channels,
and the popularity of FRS radios, it’s certainly
more possible with FRS radios.
Two-way radios only work as long as their
batteries have power. Many FRS radios have
up to 10 hours of talk time. For more
information about how FRS radios can work
for you, and what their limitations are, please
contact your Branch Emergency Coordinator.
water immediately following a power outage
and keep them full and use this water to flush
toilets. Pool water can also be used.
Remember this water should be considered
non-drinkable, but serves its purpose for
flushing toilets in the short term. If you use
this method, you’ll need a bucket to move the
water from the bath tub to the toilet.
Candles & Flashlights
Flashlights are handy for when you want to
direct light at a certain spot, and are very safe
when you need to carry a light from place to
place. Keep several flashlights with extra sets
of batteries so there is at least one per every
two people in your house. If they use the
same size of batteries, then you’ll only need to
store one type. Flashlights don’t work well for
lighting a room for a long period of time. For
that, we recommend candles in glass jars,
which are safer than bare candles. Store
plenty of them and a way to light them.
Telephones
Local telephone companies have a battery
back up system that helps them keep phones
working for at least several hours. However,
most of these telephone central offices do
NOT have a generator. So, once the battery
back up system is depleted, local phones will
no longer work. It’s important to get your calls
taken care of in the beginning of an electrical
outage. Call your Home and Visiting teachers
as soon as possible in the beginning of a
power outage. Many people would rather rely
on cell phones. Cell phone towers also have a
battery back up and may not have generators.
Cash on hand
When the power is out, ATMs and computers
and the networks they operate on will not
work. Therefore, it’s important to keep at least
$20 of cash per person on hand.
Radio
For news and information, a good portable
radio with extra batteries is a good thing to
have on hand. Tune to listen for local news
and information (such as KSL (1160 AM or
102.7 FM) or KBYU (89.1 FM)).
Family Communications
In the event of total cell phone/land line failure
such as a long term power failure, we
recommend each family has a least a set of
FRS to serve as a back-up communications
method between family members. Family
Radio Service (FRS) is one of the Citizens
Band Radio Services. It is used by family,
friends and associates to communicate within
a neighborhood and while on group outings. It
has a communications range of less than one
mile. You can not make a telephone call with
an FRS unit. You can talk to other family
members or friends within its range.
FRS radios have a set of channels (1-14) with
a subset of interference eliminator codes (1-
39) (or more depending on brand and model)
which leaves at least 546 privacy possibilities.
For example, if you wished to talk to someone,
you would need to know in advance what
channel and what interference eliminator code
they were using. Then, simply tune your FRS
radio to that, and FRS communications would
be possible.
FRS radios do not work well when large
groups of people are close together all trying
to use the radios to communicate between
their respective family members on the same
channel. In an emergency, this is a possibility
at evacuation centers. This is also true with
any two-way radio, including HAM radios, but
because of the limited number of channels,
and the popularity of FRS radios, it’s certainly
more possible with FRS radios.
Two-way radios only work as long as their
batteries have power. Many FRS radios have
up to 10 hours of talk time. For more
information about how FRS radios can work
for you, and what their limitations are, please
contact your Branch Emergency Coordinator.
