How to Be Prepared for Severe Weather

Since the power sometimes goes out during bad weather, you’ll want to make sure that you have certain essentials on hand. When electricity is out at night, it helps to have flashlights and portable lanterns that help you move about your house. Be sure to have extra household batteries on hand to avoid frustration when you need to use these devices. For appliances and electronics that require more energy, a backup generator can be helpful.

Generator power can be especially crucial during the height of summer or the dead of winter when temperatures are at their extremes. Being able to plug in fans to cool off when the air conditioner is unusable can provide relief from the heat and help you avoid heat-related illnesses, such as heatstroke. Likewise, space heaters plugged into power banks can keep you warm and cozy until power is restored.

If lightning strikes a power line, it can cause power surges in the electrical lines that lead to your home. This will likely result in damage to your computer and other valuable electronics unless you take proper precautions. When you first set up your TV or computer, be sure to plug them into a surge protector. This device senses a spike in power coming in, then shuts off all connected electronics to prevent the surge from doing extensive damage.

For many people, there are certain home electronics that need to run continuously, so being without power is not an option. If this applies to you, then buying battery backups is a necessary solution. Whether it’s to keep a medical device in operation or to ensure your home security system can do its job, a backup battery kicks in when the power coming in through the home’s electrical utility is shut off.

Plus, when you can’t afford the down time from work after a storm comes through, you can stay productive by plugging in your printer, computer and monitor to a backup battery and still meet deadlines when the power is out. In addition to backups for your larger devices, you can also use an portable charger for your cell phone so that you don’t need to use up a space to plug in your regular cell phone charger.

If the power is off, then so are your appliances that keep your food cold and fresh. While you might be able to use power generators connected to your freezer and refrigerator to prevent food from spoiling, those will only last for so long until they need to be recharged. For a secondary option, have coolers on hand to help preserve food. This is especially important if you have medication that needs to be refrigerated. Also, instead of using ice from your refrigerator or freezer, buy ice from a gas station or grocery store to fill the coolers if you can. That way, you’re keeping the insides of these appliances as cold as possible until power is restored.

Additionally, because municipal water supplies are sometimes affected by severe weather, you might consider using portable water filtration devices to ensure you have access to fresh water. You also might be notified by authorities to boil water before ingesting it, which is why gas cooktops and gas ranges are ideal during power outages. If you live in areas that frequently experience severe weather, it makes sense to shop for gas appliances when possible.

After the rain has stopped, you might wander outside to see that some damage has occurred on your property, which will need to be dealt with. Usually, the city where you live will handle downed trees that are in the street, but not in your own yard. While dead branches that are strewn across the yard can be easily snapped and placed in yard waste bags, you’ll need a chainsaw to cut up larger tree limbs that have fallen. It’s a good idea to wear gloves while you pick up the yard to prevent scrapes from fallen debris. However, you can still end up getting small cuts even if you’re being careful, so make sure your first aid kit is nearby.

When you’re assessing the damage, you might notice branches in trees that haven’t broken off completely. If the branches aren’t big enough to require professional removal, you can remove them using a pole saw. The longer length of this type of saw allows you to remove branches from the ground, rather than needing to use a ladder to reach them. You can also be proactive before severe weather arrives by using a pole saw to get rid of dead limbs that might fall in strong winds.

There might also be a mess to clean up inside your home. In some houses, when the amount of rainfall is excessive and the ground outside is already saturated before it started to pour, flooding can occur. While there is nothing good about water in your basement – or elsewhere under your roof – having the right gear can make the cleanup process easier. One of the best tools you can have to take care of a messy situation is a shop vacuum. These large capacity wet/dry vacuums can suck up water quickly, which is crucial when you’re dealing with a sewer backup that often happens during flooding.

Once the liquid on the floor is removed, you’ll want to prevent mold from forming by placing a dehumidifier in the room. Remember to buy a model that can remove moisture from the air in the size of room where the flooding happened. The product specifications should state how many square feet the dehumidifier will accommodate. There are two different types of dehumidifiers: ones that have a reservoir tank where the water collects and ones that have a hose that drains. If the room with the water issue is not in the basement, there probably isn’t a drain to direct a hose, so the reservoir tank is best. But if the flooding is in the basement, you will most likely be able to deposit the water directly into the drain on the floor. This drain is usually located in the laundry room because that’s where your washing machine drains during each cycle.

Another precautionary measure to take before severe weather events is placing water leak sensors near drains and pipes in your home. These devices will emit an audible alarm to alert you that water is present, allowing you to resolve the problem as soon as possible and minimize damage. If you’re away from home during bad weather, you can set up these smart home alarms to send a notification to your smartphone. Even if you’re not there, you can contact a neighbor or family friend to shut off the water or take any necessary measures. To enable entry for others when you’re away, either have an extra key made or create a separate smart door lock code just for friends and family.